Precious metals are hitting new all-time highs. The People’s Bank of China kept its lending rates unchanged

On Friday, the Dow Jones (US30) rose by 0.38% (for the week -0.95%), while the S&P 500 (US500) gained 0.88% (for the week -0.37%). The Nasdaq Technology Index (US100) closed 1.31% higher (for the week -0.03%). The US stock markets ended Friday with solid gains amid a triple-witching derivatives expiration. AI-related stocks showed signs of recovery, with Oracle shares jumping over 7% following reports that TikTok agreed to sell its US business to a new joint venture involving Oracle and Silver Lake. Micron Technology gained 7%, building on a 10% gain from the previous day, while Nvidia rose more than 3% amid reports that the Trump administration is considering allowing the company to sell advanced AI chips to China. Meanwhile, Nike shares plummeted 11% following a report of declining revenue in China and the negative impact of higher tariffs on the company’s gross margins.

European equity markets mostly rose. The German DAX (DE40) increased by 0.37% (weekly -0.04)%, the French CAC 40 (FR40) finished up 0.01% (weekly +0.80%), the Spanish IBEX 35 (ES35) rose by 0.22% (weekly +1.40%), and the British FTSE 100 (UK100) closed 0.61% higher (weekly +2.57%). The ECB’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged starting from June 2025 confirms the bank’s current neutral stance, meaning the central bank sees no need to ease or tighten monetary policy without a significant shift in inflation or economic growth. ECB staff expectations point to moderate growth and inflation in the medium term.

Precious metal prices climbed, with silver showing particularly strong momentum. Gold continues to receive structural support from central banks. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) increased its gold reserves by 30,000 ounces in November to a total of 74.1 million troy ounces, marking the thirteenth consecutive month of accumulation. Additionally, the World Gold Council reported that central banks purchased 220 tons of gold in the third quarter, a 28% increase compared to the second quarter.

Silver is further supported by concerns over a physical metal deficit in China. As of November 21, silver inventories in warehouses linked to the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell to 519,000 kg, the lowest level in the last 10 years. Although the market faced pressure from profit-taking and ETF outflows after reaching record highs in mid-October, demand from funds has begun to recover, with long positions in silver ETFs reaching a nearly 3.5-year high on Tuesday.

Asian markets traded with mixed results last week. The Japanese Nikkei 225 (JP225) rose by 0.38%, the Chinese FTSE China A50 (CHA50) fell by 0.40%, the Hong Kong Hang Seng (HK50) dropped by 0.35%, and the Australian ASX 200 (AU200) showed a positive five-day result of 1.18%.

As expected, the People’s Bank of China maintained its key lending rates at historic lows, leaving the one-year LPR at 3.0% and the five-year rate at 3.5%. This decision, representing the seventh consecutive period of no change, confirms the regulator’s stance that there is no urgent need for additional stimulus to reach annual GDP growth targets, despite November statistics showing a slowdown in retail sales and industrial production growth.

The New Zealand dollar is showing a steady recovery, rising toward 0.577 USD and nearly fully reversing its drop to two-week lows amid a revision of market expectations regarding Reserve Bank policy. The currency was supported by third-quarter GDP data confirming the national economy’s exit from a long period of stagnation, which significantly reduced the likelihood of monetary easing. Since the existing economic downturn prevents inflation from rising in the near term, market expectations for rate hikes have become more modest, with the probability of such a move by July falling from 50% to 40%.