Precious Metal Market Outlook & Bullion Trading Economic Trends

Exclusive Precious Metals Market Outlook and Recommendations

Index updated March 30, 2026

Blanchard's Bi-weekly Index

The Blanchard Bi-weekly Index is a roll-up of industry news and economic trends affecting the precious metals market and trading world.

Check back often for insights and commentary from our leading experts and contributors.

High: — | Low: — | Current: —

Gold
Silver
Platinum
Palladium

The Blanchard Economic Report

Know When to Act and Why

Wondering when to buy or sell gold?

Backed by over 50 years of market insight, The Blanchard Index analyzes fundamentals, technicals, and investor sentiment to help guide your gold buying and selling decisions with confidence.

Talk to an Advisor — Get personal guidance, call 1-800-880-4653 today.

Shop Now — Explore our most popular gold and silver products, ready to ship.

Scroll down to see the latest analysis. Then take the next step with clarity.

Market Movers

Precious Metals

The U.S.-Israel war against Iran entered its fifth week, with no end in sight. The stock market is collapsing, gold picked up a bid Monday morning and oil prices are trading about 60% higher than before the war began.

The war has jolted financial markets and the stock market is on track for its fifth straight week of losses. The war continues to escalate with the arrival of U.S. ground troops into the Mideast. President Trump threatened to obliterate Iran’s electric plants and energy wells if a deal to end the war isn’t reached. More than 3,500 American soldiers, including 2,500 Marines have arrived in the region.

Gold rose for the second straight session Monday amid a pick-up in safe-haven demand and bargain hunting long-term investors. In recent weeks, the huge meltdown in stocks, bonds and currencies forced some traders to sell bullion to cover losses elsewhere in their portfolio. Long-term investors stepped back into precious metals in recent days buying the gold dip as key supportive factors like runaway government debt and a fragile geopolitical environment remain in place.

Key Takeaway:

The long-term trend for gold points higher. The Wells Fargo Investment Institute says this is exactly the kind of pullback gold investors should be buying. The bank just raised its 2026 year-end gold price target to $6,100 to $6,300 per ounce. The war has damaged the U.S. stock market, and created a global energy shock. Notably, the war has wrecked energy production infrastructure in the Middle East, with over 40 severe incidents. Oil industry experts warn that repairing the damaged oil production facilities could cost over $25 billion and take 3-5 years to repair. That means energy supply chains could be disrupted for years, triggering higher oil prices and higher inflation for longer.

Economic Update

Higher inflation, higher recession risk. Goldman Sachs estimated that higher global energy prices would boost U.S. inflation by 0.2 percentage points to 3.1% by the end of the year, putting a drag on consumer spending and economic growth. The investment bank increased the probability of a recession over the next year to 30%.
Spiking gas prices causes pain for Americans. The national average price of gasoline climbed 2.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.95/gallon on Monday. The national average is up 97.9 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 83.8 cents per gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data.

Key Takeaway:

Expect higher inflation, slower growth and increased risks of recession ahead. “We’re likely to see the national average for gasoline push beyond the $4-per-gallon mark. Americans have already spent nearly $8 billion more on gasoline over the past month, a trend that poses growing risks to the broader economy, while surging diesel prices may begin to reaccelerate inflation,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

In the News

Wells Fargo resets gold price target for the rest of 2026 – The Street, March 28

Wells Fargo Investment Institute says this is exactly the kind of pullback investors should be buying. The bank raised its 2026 year-end gold price target to $6,100 to $6,300 per ounce, up sharply from its previous forecast of $4,500 to $4,700. The revision represents a roughly 35% increase. From current levels, the Wells Fargo target implies upside of roughly 38% to 43% by year-end.

Iran war fallout raises odds of a U.S. recession, economists say – CBS News, March 27

The Iran war raises the risk that the U.S. will tumble into a recession within the next 12 months, according to economists and Wall Street analysts.

Over 40 Middle East Energy Assets ‘Severely Damaged,’ IEA Says – Bloomberg, March 22

More than 40 energy assets across nine countries in the Middle East have been “severely or very severely” damaged by the war, potentially prolonger disruptions to global supply chains. The war has interrupted the trade of vital arteries of the global economy, including petrochemicals, fertilizers, sulfur and helium, which will have serious consequences for the global economy.