PHOTO: AFP

REUTERS

Gold broke through the key $3,000 barrier on Friday for the first time as investors piled on to a historic rally in the safe-haven asset to seek cover from economic uncertainty sparked by US President Donald Trump’s tariff war.

Spot gold hit an all-time high of $3,004.86 earlier in the session, before easing 0.1 percent to $2,986.26 as of 02:01 p.m. ET (1801 GMT) on profit taking.

US gold futures settled 0.3 percent higher at $3,001.10.

Gold’s surge past the $3,000 milestone was driven by “beleaguered investors seeking the ultimate safe-haven asset given Trump’s tumult on stock markets,” said Tai Wong, an independent metals trader.

Traditionally viewed as a safe store of value during geopolitical turmoil, bullion has risen nearly 14 percent so far this year, driven in part by concerns over the impact of Trump’s tariffs and a resultant selloff in stock markets.

“Real asset money managers, particularly in the West, needed a strong stock market and economic slowdown scare to return to gold — and that’s happening now,” said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.

Gold has also been supported by central bank demand, with key buyer China building its bullion reserves for a fourth straight month in February.

“Central banks continue record-level gold acquisitions, seeking to diversify away from an increasingly volatile US dollar,” said GoldCore CEO, David Russell.

Expectations of monetary easing by the US Federal Reserve have also helped zero-yield gold, with traders betting on cuts to resume in June.

“There are good reasons for why investment demand is likely to remain robust... heightened geopolitical and geo-economic risk, higher inflation expectations, potentially lower rates and the uncertainty that markets are feeling,” said Juan Carlos Artigas, global head of research at the World Gold Council.

Goldman Sachs said in a note that there was upside risk to its $3,100 end-2025 base case scenario and to its $3,100-$3,300 forecast range as US policy uncertainty may support investor demand.

“We believe that central bank gold buying will remain structurally higher than before the freezing of Russian central bank reserves in 2022. We think this is the case even after a potential Russia-Ukraine ceasefire,” the bank added.