The gold price continued to move this week, approaching the US$3,900 per ounce level and setting a fresh all-time high on the back of a US government shutdown. The closure came after Congress failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill ahead of the new American fiscal year, which began on Wednesday (October 1). Democrats and Republicans are at odds as Democrats push for changes to the bill, including an extension to billions of dollars in Obamacare subsidies; meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened thousands of permanent layoffs, not just temporary furloughs. This shutdown is the 15th since 1981, and according to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, it could continue on until next week as the two sides negotiate. The longest government shutdown happened between 2018 and 2019, during Trump’s first presidency, and lasted for 35 days. Part of the reason market watchers see this shutdown as significant is…
