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On this day — February 21, 2020
Friday — typically a higher-volatility close to the week. US monthly non-farm payrolls publish on the first Friday of each month at 8:30 AM ET, the single most-watched economic data release for gold.
Day 52 of 366 · Q1 2020 · 14.2% through the year
February 2020 gold market: Calm before the COVID storm
VolatileSteady gains unwound in a sharp late-month risk-off.
For most of February gold drifted higher to around $1,640 as COVID-19 spread beyond China and bond yields fell. In the final days of the month, however, a violent global equity selloff dragged gold down too, as investors sold winning positions to raise cash — a preview of the liquidity scramble to come.
What drove gold in February 2020
- COVID-19 spreading globally
- collapsing bond yields
- late-month equity crash
- early dash-for-cash selling
Key events in February 2020
- Feb 24Global markets begin steep COVID selloff
- Feb 28Gold drops with stocks as funds raise cash
What happened next
The late-February cash scramble was a dress rehearsal for March's full-blown liquidity crisis.
For gold buyers
Gold's late-February dip showed that in a panic's first phase even safe havens fall as investors sell what they can, not what they want to.
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