



Why gold has not played its safe-haven role amid West Asia war
US-Israel and Iran escalated into a full-blown war in West Asia — and gold, instead of rallying, stumbled.Nippon India ETF Gold BeES, India’s largest gold exchange-traded fund (ETF), fell from ₹131.60 on 27 February 2026 — the day before the conflict began — to ₹110.72 by 23 March, shedding nearly 16% in under a month. The ETF has since recovered, gaining 11.5% from that low.
But it still remains 15.7% below its recent peak (as of 10 April 2026).Here’s why gold is struggling to play its traditional role as a hedge in this crisis — and what investors should expect next.The West Asia war disrupted the script by driving Brent crude sharply higher, stoking inflation fears and triggering an “about-turn” in interest rate expectations, said Vishal Dhawan, founder and CEO of Plan Ahead Wealth Advisors, a Sebi-registered investment advisory firm.Rising rate expectations pushed up US Treasury yields — and higher bond yields increase the opportunity cost of holding gold, which pays no interest or dividends. Higher yields also strengthened demand for the dollar as investors sought dollar-denominated US assets offering higher returns.“As crude prices rally and support the dollar, gold tends to come under pressure given its inverse relationship with the dollar,” said Tapan Patel, fund manager-commodities at Tata Asset Management.“At the start of the year, markets were expecting two rate cuts from the US Fed in 2026.
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