Gold Holds Above $4,200 as Fed Rate Cut Bets Surge; Silver Hits Record High Near $59 on Supply Squeeze

LONDON/NEW YORK – December 3, 2025 — Precious metals are back in the spotlight as investors pile into gold and silver on growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates as soon as next week. Silver blasted to a fresh all‑time high, copper set another record in London, and gold is holding just shy of its own peak as traders reposition around a shifting macro outlook. ^[1]

Gold Holds Steady Above $4,200 on Fed Cut Hopes

Spot gold traded around $4,200 an ounce in New York afternoon dealings on Wednesday, after briefly spiking toward $4,240 earlier in the session, according to Reuters data. U.S. futures for February delivery settled modestly higher, near $4,230, extending the metal’s resilience after a volatile few weeks. ^[2]

The immediate catalyst is a growing conviction that the Fed will cut rates at its December 9–10 policy meeting. Futures pricing via the CME FedWatch tool now implies close to a 90% probability of at least a quarter‑point reduction, up from the mid‑80s just a week ago. ^[3]

Lower policy rates typically weaken the dollar and push down real yields, both of which tend to support non‑yielding assets like gold. That classic relationship appears to be playing out again as investors seek a hedge against financial market volatility, sticky inflation and a cooling but still‑resilient U.S. economy. ^[4]

Commodity strategists note that gold is also drawing strength from:

Persistently high geopolitical risk, including conflicts in multiple regions.
Ongoing central‑bank buying, especially from emerging markets seeking to diversify reserves.
A sense that, even if the Fed starts cutting, policy will remain restrictive in real terms — keeping demand for hedges in play. ^[5]

So far, dips toward the high‑$3,900s and low‑$4,000s have attracted buyers, reinforcing the idea that investors view these levels as a medium‑term value zone rather than the top of the cycle.

Silver Smashes Records, Up Over 100% in 2025

While gold is firm, silver is stealing the show. On Wednesday, the metal touched an intraday record around $58.98 an ounce before easing slightly, according to spot and futures quotes tracked by Reuters and other market data providers. ^[6]

That fresh high caps an extraordinary rally:

Silver is up roughly 100% so far in 2025, more than doubling from last year’s lows. ^[7]
The latest leg higher has been fueled by a six‑day surge of about 15%, pushing prices into technically overbought territory on momentum indicators such as the RSI. ^[8]

Analysts and traders point to a blend of structural and cyclical drivers:

Structural supply deficit
Industry forecasts highlight that mine output and recycling have struggled to keep pace with robust industrial and investment demand, leaving the market in a persistent physical deficit. ^[9]
Exchange and warehouse tightness
Market participants report low inventories at key exchanges and worries about available high‑quality metal, especially after sizable withdrawals in recent weeks. This has amplified concerns about liquidity and helped drive risk‑averse buying. ^[10]
“Two‑in‑one” demand: safe haven + industrial
Silver remains closely tied to gold as a monetary metal, benefiting from the same Fed cut hopes and weaker‑dollar narrative. At the same time, it plays a critical role in solar panels, electronics and EVs, tying its fortunes to the energy transition and broader manufacturing cycle. ^[11]
Critical minerals status
The metal’s inclusion on the U.S. critical minerals list has reinforced perceptions of strategic importance, adding another layer of long‑term demand from investors and policymakers focused on supply security. ^[12]

One senior market strategist quoted by Reuters said that silver’s all‑time highs are now acting as a magnet for momentum traders, while also pulling gold higher as the yellow metal “follows” the white one in the short term. ^[13]

Weak ADP Payrolls Deepen Fed Rate‑Cut Bets

The macro backdrop powering precious metals hardened further on Wednesday with a downbeat U.S. jobs snapshot.

The latest ADP employment report showed private payrolls falling by 32,000 jobs in November, the biggest drop in more than two and a half years and a sharp miss versus economists’ expectations for a modest gain. Small businesses bore the brunt of the losses, while medium and large firms continued to add headcount. ^[14]

A few key points from the report and broader data flow:

October’s private‑sector job growth was revised up, but the trend now looks more like “no‑hire, no‑fire” stagnation than vigorous expansion. ^[15]
Economists caution that ADP figures don’t perfectly track the official payrolls report, yet the surprise decline has clearly tilted expectations toward easier Fed policy. ^[16]
The government’s own November employment report has been delayed until December 16 due to the recent U.S. government shutdown, meaning Fed officials will have less hard data in hand for next week’s decision. ^[17]

U.S. Treasury yields dropped after the ADP release as bond markets repriced the growth outlook and reinforced wagers on a rate cut. Lower yields, in turn, reduce the opportunity cost of holding gold and silver, giving the metals another tailwind. ^[18]

Markets are now watching two key economic reports:

September core PCE inflation — the Fed’s preferred price gauge — due Friday.
The delayed official November jobs numbers later this month, which could confirm or contradict ADP’s downbeat signal. ^[19]

Copper Joins the Party With a New Record High

The bull story isn’t confined to precious metals. Copper, a bellwether for global growth, also set a fresh record in London this week.

Benchmark futures on the London Metal Exchange jumped as much as 2.6% above $11,400 per tonne on Wednesday morning, surpassing a previous peak set just two sessions earlier. Prices later eased back toward roughly $11,100 but remain up more than 30% year‑to‑date, according to Mining.com and exchange data. ^[20]

Several overlapping forces are driving the copper squeeze:

Heavy withdrawals from LME warehouses amid worries about dwindling inventories.
Rising shipments to the U.S., as traders anticipate the possibility of future tariffs on primary copper products and try to lock in supply.
Mine disruptions from Chile to the Democratic Republic of Congo, including trimmed output guidance from major producers such as Ivanhoe Mines and Glencore. ^[21]

These dynamics echo themes in the silver market: tight supply, policy uncertainty and strategic demand. Together, they reinforce a narrative of broad‑based metal tightness at a time when the world is investing heavily in electrification and green infrastructure.

Platinum and Palladium Edge Higher

Rounding out the precious metals complex, platinum and palladium are also benefiting from the wave of buying, albeit more quietly than silver.

Reuters data show:

Platinum gained close to 1% on Wednesday, trading around $1,650 an ounce.
Palladium advanced roughly 0.4% to the mid‑$1,460s. ^[22]

Both metals are heavily used in automotive catalytic converters, and their fortunes are increasingly tied to the EV transition, shifting emissions rules, and substitution between platinum, palladium and even silver in industrial applications.

Key Levels to Watch in Gold and Silver

With prices at or near historic highs, traders are laser‑focused on technical and psychological levels: ^[23]

Gold
- Short‑term support is seen near $4,150–$4,180, roughly aligning with recent consolidation zones.
- Resistance lies around the recent intraday highs just above $4,240, then at the psychologically important $4,300 mark.
Silver
- Immediate resistance is clustered around the $59–$60 band, a zone watched both for round‑number psychology and Fibonacci extensions.
- Initial support comes in near $56–$57, with deeper cushions around $54–$55 if momentum fades more sharply. ^[24]

Technical indicators suggest silver, in particular, is stretched. Relative strength gauges on shorter‑term charts sit well above traditional overbought thresholds, meaning sharp pullbacks are possible even within an uptrend.

What Today’s Moves Mean for Investors

For investors in gold, silver and mining equities, the December 3 price action highlights several themes:

Macro still matters most
The sudden repricing in rate expectations after the ADP report underscores how quickly macro headlines can move metals. A softer‑than‑expected PCE print or a dovish Fed next week could extend the rally; any hawkish surprise might trigger a correction. ^[25]
Silver is high‑reward, high‑risk right now
With prices more than doubling in 2025 and momentum red‑hot, silver offers high upside but notable downside risk if sentiment turns or if speculative long positions unwind. ^[26]
Copper’s surge is a longer‑term story
Unlike gold, which is primarily a monetary asset, copper’s rally reflects deep structural shifts in energy, infrastructure and trade policy. Tight supply and tariff uncertainty suggest the red metal could remain volatile but supported over the medium term. ^[27]
Diversification within metals matters
The different roles of gold (safe haven), silver (hybrid monetary‑industrial), and copper (growth/transition metal) mean they don’t always move in lockstep. A diversified basket can help balance macro, industrial and policy risks. ^[28]

As always, these markets can be extremely volatile, especially around major data releases and central‑bank meetings. Anyone considering exposure should assess their risk tolerance carefully and, where appropriate, seek professional advice. Nothing in this article constitutes investment advice.

The Road Ahead: Data, the Fed and Market Positioning

In the near term, metals traders are watching three key signposts:

September core PCE (Friday) – A softer‑than‑expected reading would likely cement rate‑cut expectations and further pressure the dollar, a scenario typically supportive for gold and silver. ^[29]
Fed meeting (December 9–10) – Beyond whether the Fed cuts, markets care about the dot plot and Chair Jerome Powell’s tone on future moves. A signal of a shallow but extended cutting cycle could keep real yields low and metals elevated. ^[30]
Delayed November jobs report (December 16) – Confirmation of a softer labor market would validate the recent move in rates and metals. A strong upside surprise, by contrast, might reignite debate over how quickly the Fed can ease. ^[31]

For now, though, December 3, 2025, will be remembered as another milestone in a year dominated by new records for silver, surging copper and resilient gold — all underpinned by a central‑bank pivot that investors believe is finally in sight.