The price of gold continued its growth on Tuesday, reaching a new record amid expectations of monetary easing by the world's leading central banks and increased demand for safe assets amid geopolitical tensions. Gold futures on the Comex exchange rose 0.3% in August, reaching $2,563.6 per ounce. Since the beginning of the year, the price of precious metals has increased by 21.5%. Signals of a decrease in inflation in the United States, along with a deterioration in the labor market, have increased expectations that the US Federal Reserve will soon begin to lower interest rates. Currently, the market forecasts a rate cut of 100 basis points by the end of the year. Three meetings of the American Central Bank are scheduled in 2024, and it is likely that at one of them the rate will be increased by 50 basis points instead of the standard 25 bp. The slowdown in inflation is also observed in other large economies. For example, the central bank of Sweden on Tuesday lowered its key interest rate by 25 bps to 3.5% per annum. The regulator noted that the growth rate of consumer prices continues to slow down, approaching the target 2%. The Central Bank's management plans to cut the rate two or three times by the end of the year if the current inflation dynamics persists.
