An extreme duality between inflation and gold can be observed. This duplicity currently acts as a double-edged sword, whose both sides are honed to razor sharpness. It should be noted that rising inflation makes gold a profitable asset for investors' portfolios. So, gold is considered one of the best means of protection against inflation.
But in the case of inflation and interest rates, higher inflation will put pressure on gold because it will force the Fed to raise rates many times over.
Market participants are now waiting for the release of the US core CPI (consumer price index) today. Economic forecasts predict growth to its highest level in nearly 40 years.
Analysts predict that the core CPI will rise to 5.4% as the index excludes energy and food costs, which are the two most important goods and services that all Americans depend on. The core CPI is not as realistic as the inflation indices, which take into account the inflationary growth in the cost of food and energy.
The forecasts for the CPI, which include food and energy costs, are expected to reflect the fact that inflationary pressures continue to rise, giving millions of Americans more income for their own needs.
Last November, government reports indicated that the inflation rate surged to 6.2% after the October forecasts were just below 5.8%. In December, analysts failed to foresee that the CPI would rise from 6.2% to 6.8%.
Inflationary pressures continue to intensify and economists are forecasting even higher inflation rates. Last December 2021, inflation was at the level of 7%. The last time inflationary pressures were so high was in the 1980s when inflationary pressures averaged between 13.5% in 1980, 10.3% in 1981, and 6.1% in 1982.