Silver Climbs Near $57 Despite Renewed Fed Rate Hike Expectations

• Silver extends its gains for a second consecutive day, trading around $56.90 on Monday, up 1.6% on the day.

• Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran continue to support safe-haven demand.

• Rising Oil prices are reviving inflation concerns and reinforcing expectations of a Fed rate hike in September.

Silver (XAG/USD) advances toward $56.90 per troy ounce on Monday at the time of writing, gaining 1.6% on the day. The precious metal continues to benefit from safe-haven demand as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East keep risk sentiment under pressure.

The United States (US) has carried out a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian targets. In response, Tehran considers the ceasefire between the two countries effectively over, raising concerns about further disruptions to key regional energy supply routes. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that intermediaries have delivered messages to Tehran in recent days aimed at reducing tensions, while stressing that diplomacy remains a tool to pursue the country's national interests.

Concerns intensified further after Yemen's Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, raising fears of additional disruptions to energy trade. Against this backdrop, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Oil rebounded from daily lows to near $82.00 per barrel at the time of press, increasing the risk of renewed inflationary pressures.

Higher energy prices are reinforcing expectations of further monetary tightening. Speaking on Friday, Federal Reserve (Fed) of Cleveland President Beth Hammack said inflation remains persistent, strengthening expectations that interest rates could remain higher for longer. According to the CME FedWatch tool, markets now assign a 55.3% chance to a Fed rate hike in September.

The prospect of higher interest rates is typically a headwind for Silver as the precious metal does not generate yield. However, strong safe-haven demand driven by geopolitical tensions is currently allowing the white metal to maintain a bullish bias despite this unfavorable backdrop.