gold

As the Middle East conflict leads to flight cancellations and logistics disruptions, a large amount of gold stranded in Dubai is being sold at a noticeable discount.Insiders reveal that due to exceptionally high transportation and insurance costs, and the inability to guarantee timely delivery, many buyers have suspended new procurement orders. As a result, under the pressure of indefinitely bearing storage and capital costs, traders have started selling gold at discounts of up to $30 per ounce below the London benchmark price.Sources say that although some gold has been loaded onto flights leaving Dubai since the middle of this week, as of Friday, many batches of gold remain stranded. The UAE, especially Dubai, is a significant global hub for gold refining and trading, exporting gold to various parts of Asia and serving as an important transit point for gold to Switzerland, the UK, and several African countries. Due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, some airspace in the UAE has been closed; meanwhile, the military strikes by the US and Israel against Iran have entered their seventh day, with no signs of an end in sight.

According to Jinshi, the U.S. Treasury has issued a license authorizing specific activities involving gold of Venezuelan origin.

According to Gate data, spot gold reached up to $5150 per ounce, rising 1.36% during the day.

According to Jinshi News, Goldman Sachs' Head of Multi-Asset Fixed Income Investment, Lindsay Rosner, stated that signs of a weak labor market remind the Federal Reserve that delaying interest rate cuts could come at a cost. Although short-term policies are still influenced by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Rosner expects that the Federal Reserve will ultimately complete the remaining two "normalization rate cuts" to bring rates back to neutral, but the specific timing remains uncertain.

According to official news, MEXC has launched the "Gold vs Cryptocurrency" themed trading event. During the event, users participating in designated spot and contract trading can enjoy a 0 fee discount. The event also includes various activities such as price prediction, staking rewards, and new user bonuses, with a prize pool of $1,000,000 to be shared.Event time: March 6, 2026, 18:00 (UTC+8) to April 4, 2026, 18:00 (UTC+8).

Aurelion (NASDAQ: AURE) announced the arrival of the company's first AI virtual employee, Duncan.Aure, and opened access to its AI Agent Skills. This AI Agent has established a dedicated website and is live on social platforms such as X and Telegram, supporting automated trading and strategy execution for XAU₮ through preset Skills modules.Aurelion stated that Duncan is an important exploration for the company in the direction of digital gold infrastructure. In the future, the company will continue to strengthen the strategic positioning of XAU₮ assets while expanding the execution capabilities of the AI Agent in digital gold trading and asset management scenarios, and exploring innovative scenarios such as XAU₮ Shop, allowing digital gold to have more practical applications.

CryptoQuant data shows that Binance's TradFi perpetual contract trading volume has exceeded 130 billion USD, with gold and silver dominating the trading activity.

AI elder care technology company Sage announced the completion of a $65 million Series C funding round, led by Goldman Sachs' alternative investment division, with participation from existing investors IVP and Goldcrest.Sage focuses on providing an AI-driven integrated care platform for nursing homes and specialized care facilities, aiming to shift the industry from passive response to proactive prevention. The funds will be used in three main areas: developing predictive AI to enhance elder safety, integrating caregiver workflows, and strengthening technological investments in specialized care facilities.

According to Caixin, the Hong Kong Customs announced the recent bust of two suspected air cargo smuggling cases involving precious metals at Hong Kong International Airport, seizing approximately 168 kilograms of suspected gold flakes and about 285 kilograms of suspected silver flakes, with an estimated total market value of around HKD 230 million. Based on the market value of the smuggled goods, this is the largest case of smuggling precious metals recorded by Customs.According to the Hong Kong Import and Export Ordinance, smuggling is a serious crime. Anyone who imports or exports goods not listed on the manifest, upon conviction, can be fined up to HKD 2 million and imprisoned for 7 years.

The overall trading in the metal market remains active. Among them, international gold (XAUT) reached a maximum of $5,152.6 in 24 hours, while international silver (XAG) peaked at $85.54 in the same period. Against the backdrop of high price fluctuations, the trading activity of Gate metals continues to rise, with both gold and silver contract transaction volumes ranking among the top three globally.According to real-time data from CoinGlass, the 24-hour transaction volume for Gate gold (XAUT) reached $95.89 million, while silver (XAG) exceeded $191 million, with both metal products consistently ranking in the top three globally. In the context of ongoing global macro uncertainty and persistent demand for safe-haven assets, the trading activity of metal assets continues to increase.Gate has pioneered the metal contract trading sector, providing 24/7 uninterrupted trading, offering users greater strategic flexibility and asset management efficiency in volatile markets. Gate contracts cover various traditional financial assets, including stocks, metals, foreign exchange, indices, and commodities, supporting trading in core targets such as gold, silver, and globally popular stocks. Gate continues to build a more efficient and professional multi-asset one-stop trading platform for global users.

According to Cointelegraph, macroeconomist Lyn Alden stated in the New Era Finance podcast that Bitcoin's price performance may surpass gold in the next two to three years. Alden believes that the current sentiment in the gold market is somewhat overly optimistic, while Bitcoin is unfairly viewed negatively.She pointed out that there is usually a swinging relationship between the two assets, and considering gold's recent strong rise, Bitcoin may eliminate the diminishing returns in the next cycle. The current gold fear and greed index shows a score of 72 (greed), while the cryptocurrency fear and greed index is only at 18 (extreme fear). Bitcoin is currently trading at around $71,164, down 44% from its historical high of $126,000 set in October. Alden also stated that gold and Bitcoin can rise or fall simultaneously, and she holds a cautious view on the absoluteness of their relationship.

According to market news, Bitcoin is currently fluctuating above $72,000, while Ethereum has seen a slight increase. The market has entered a consolidation phase after the previous breakout. Although Bitcoin has successfully stabilized above the $70,000 level, which has been a resistance point multiple times, it has not yet shown the expected rapid advance towards $80,000.Expectations of easing tensions in the Middle East have boosted risk assets. If there are disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz that drive up inflation, the Federal Reserve may be forced to maintain a tighter interest rate policy. Derivatives data shows that bullish sentiment remains moderately strong, with Bitcoin futures open interest (OI) rising to about 680,000 BTC, reaching a nearly two-week high, while open interest in gold-linked tokens XAUT and PAXG futures continues to decline, indicating that some funds may be flowing back into mainstream crypto assets after the slowdown in gold's upward momentum.In the options market, demand for high strike call options has increased, and the 30-day implied volatility remains stable overall, reflecting relatively calm market sentiment.

According to Jinshi News, Venezuela's state-owned mining company has signed a multi-million dollar agreement to sell up to 1,000 kilograms of gold, which will flow to the U.S. market.

According to Jinshi reports, Goldman Sachs stated that if the situation in the Middle East quickly de-escalates, the Federal Reserve has room to cut interest rates twice within the year.

Due to the repeated impact of global geopolitical uncertainties, gold and silver experienced significant fluctuations today and quickly retreated. According to Gate data, gold (XAUT) is currently priced at $5,153.2, with a 24h high of $5,339.0 and a low of $4,980.5; silver (XAG) is currently priced at $85.42, with a 24h high of $90.31 and a low of $77.99, showing a significant increase in intraday volatility.According to CoinGlass data, the market activity for gold and silver-related contracts has noticeably increased. Among them, the 24-hour trading volume for XAUT on the Gate platform reached $120 million, up 23.53%, ranking among the top three in the industry; the 24-hour trading volume for XAG exceeded $2.331 billion, up 18.09%, ranking second, indicating that funds are accelerating their positioning in metal trading opportunities amid significant fluctuations.Gate has pioneered the metal contract trading sector, providing 24/7 uninterrupted trading, offering users greater strategic flexibility and asset management efficiency in volatile markets. Additionally, Gate TradFi offers XAUUSD (gold) and XAGUSD (silver) contract trading, covering multiple leverage products, including gold at 20x/100x/200x and silver at 10x/20x/50x, further optimizing the overall trading experience while enhancing strategic flexibility.

According to market news, due to the conflict in the Middle East, most air traffic in and out of Dubai has been disrupted, severely affecting the flow of gold and silver globally.Traders indicate that this could trigger further volatility in metal prices, which have already been significantly fluctuating this year. Dubai is a key hub for precious metal transportation, accounting for about 20% of the global gold flow last year. Traders and analysts point out that if the transportation of gold and silver goods is hindered for an extended period, it may drive up regional prices in the Asian market.John Reade, senior market strategist at the World Gold Council, stated, "With flights in the Middle East suspended, the availability of gold has become a concerning issue." A gold trader mentioned, "Currently, no goods are moving by air." Typically, gold is transported as cargo on passenger planes, with a single flight capable of carrying up to 5 tons, valued at approximately $830 million at current prices.

According to Jinshi reports, Goldman Sachs equity strategists stated in a report that as tensions in the Middle East escalate, global stock markets face the possibility of a pullback in the short term, but the likelihood of a full-blown bear market remains low. The strategists pointed out that current high valuations make the market more susceptible to pullback shocks, but if a correction occurs, it may also provide buying opportunities. Goldman Sachs recommends broad geographic, factor, and sector diversification to enhance risk-adjusted returns.

According to official news, MEXC has launched the MBTI miner test event. Users can gain a chance to win a prize by completing the crypto personality (MBTI) test and unlock their trader type; sharing test results or completing platform tasks can also earn more chances to win.The prize pool for this event includes 10g of gold, XAUT tokens, and GOLD contract position rewards. At the same time, MEXC is offering a limited-time GOLD contract with 0 fees, providing users with a lower-cost opportunity to participate in gold digital asset trading.

According to the macro briefing released by Binance Research, a review of eight major energy supply disruptions from 1979 to 2019 shows that oil price trends exhibit a "two-phase" pattern: the first phase is the "hesitation period" (0-30 days), where market pricing reflects uncertainty rather than scarcity, with a historical average increase of only about 2%. However, on the fifth day of the current conflict, Brent crude oil has already risen by 9%, indicating that the market is pricing in tail risks in advance.The second phase is the "scarcity digestion period" (30-360 days), which begins when the 25-day inventory buffer of Gulf countries is exhausted, leading to forced production cuts. The historical average increase during this phase is 44%, with extreme cases reaching 110%-140%. The report notes that the daily oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped from a normal 16 million barrels to 4 million barrels, and Gulf countries have only 25 days of buffer left. When the tank utilization rate reaches the critical threshold of 85%, oil fields will be forced to shut down, and oil prices will enter an accelerated phase of the "scarcity digestion period." If oil prices remain between $85 and $95, a CPI increase of 30-40 basis points is manageable; if oil prices rise to $115-$130, CPI will increase by 110-150 basis points, potentially delaying Federal Reserve rate cuts until 2027; if oil prices exceed $180, CPI will rise by over 300 basis points, possibly triggering stagflation.Currently, Bitcoin maintains a correlation of over 0.9 with tech stocks. If oil prices remain above $110, a CPI rise to 3% and real interest rates exceeding 2.5% will trigger a sell-off in tech stocks, at which point the correlation between Bitcoin and U.S. stocks may break, triggering a shift in the "digital gold" narrative. Key indicators to watch include: vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, inventory utilization rates in Gulf countries, CPI data on March 11, Federal Reserve guidance on March 18, whether the 10-year TIPS real interest rate exceeds 2.5%, whether the 30-day correlation between Bitcoin and the IGV index falls below 0.5, and whether ETF fund flows turn into net inflows.