Tariffs Trip Crypto, Gold Steadies at $4,100; Silver Squeeze Intensifies

Daily News Nuggets | Today’s top stories for gold and silver investors
October 14th, 2025 

Silver Squeeze Sends Prices Up Over 76% YTD 

Silver has erupted to record highs above $51/oz as an extreme short squeeze grips London’s physical market. Leasing rates and borrowing costs have spiked to extraordinary levels, prompting some traders to ship silver bars via air cargo—a tactic usually reserved for gold. Tight supply, trade uncertainty, and inflows into silver-backed funds have all amplified the run. 

This isn’t just trader games — physical supply is genuinely tight, and that’s showing up in real costs. Silver’s microstructure is under stress, and volatility like this doesn’t give warnings. 

Want to see where this could go next? Watch Mike Maloney’s new breakdown, “Silver Squeeze 2025: The 45-Year Chart Pointing to Triple-Digit Prices”, for a full look at the forces behind this move. 

Gold Hits New High on Rate Cut Hopes & Trade Risk 

Gold has surged past $4,100/oz, with traders now pricing in a 97% probability of a 25-basis-point Fed rate cut this month and near-certainty for December. Markets are funneling capital into tangible hedges as escalating U.S.–China trade tensions amplify safe-haven demand. Non-yielding bullion thrives in low-interest-rate environments, and analysts see plenty of runway ahead. 

Bank of America and Société Générale now expect gold to reach $5,000 in 2026, while Standard Chartered has raised its forecast to an average of $4,488 next year. “This rally has legs in our view, but a near-term correction would be healthier for a longer-term uptrend,” said Suki Cooper, global head of commodities research at Standard Chartered. 

But expectations for Fed easing are running headlong into reality in Treasurys and the dollar. 

Treasury Yields and Powell’s Signals Grab Center Stage 

Treasury yields are the fight to watch ahead of Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech today. The 10-year yield has retraced slightly as rate cuts are now heavily priced in. Powell’s tone — hawkish, dovish, or cautious — could reset yield expectations and redefine risk appetites across markets. 

Markets are watching for signals on inflation, labor slack, and the Fed’s tolerance for policy “error” now that cutting is in the crosshairs. Bond markets are vulnerable to a surprise twist. A hawkish tone could stoke volatility, while dovish leanings may catalyze a fresh carry rally into gold and silver. 

And how the dollar reacts will be another defining piece of this story. 

Dollar Rally Lacks Conviction Amid Underlying Weakness 

The U.S. dollar has rallied roughly 3% this week, buoyed by positioning shifts and weakness in rival currencies abroad. But strategists are skeptical this bounce has staying power. The greenback remains down sharply from earlier this year — the first half of 2025 saw its steepest decline since 1973, with the dollar index dropping over 10% against major currencies. 

Mounting fiscal pressures, including the OBBBA’s $4.1 trillion price tag and widening deficits, continue to weigh on sentiment. Meanwhile, the Fed’s dovish tilt toward rate cuts is eroding the dollar’s yield advantage, while global capital flows are rotating away from U.S. assets toward Europe and emerging markets. Analysts expect the dollar to resume its downward trajectory over the medium term. 

If the rebound fails to stick, it could inject another layer of support under precious metals and international assets priced in dollars. 

Gold Holds Firm as Tariffs Rattle Markets, Bitcoin Sinks

President Trump’s latest volley in the trade war with China sent a shock through risk assets Monday — but not all havens reacted the same way. The administration’s new round of tariffs, aimed at over $100 billion in Chinese imports, jolted global markets and sent Bitcoin tumbling nearly 10% in 24 hours. 

Gold, by contrast, barely flinched. The metal held steady before climbing to a new record above $4,100 per ounce, extending its 2025 rally and reinforcing its safe-haven status. The divergence was striking: digital assets, often touted as “modern gold,” wilted under policy uncertainty, while the real thing proved once again to be the ballast in a storm. 

Analysts note that when geopolitical tension and monetary confusion collide, capital tends to migrate toward tangible stores of value — not speculative ones. Central-bank buying, strong ETF inflows, and the expectation of lower U.S. rates continue to fuel demand for physical bullion. 

The takeaway: In the face of tariff shocks and volatility, gold is reminding investors why it’s still the world’s ultimate hedge — the asset that steadies portfolios when everything else wobbles. 

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