New Delhi (PTI): Gold and silver prices scaled fresh lifetime highs in the domestic futures market on Monday, mirroring record gains in global markets amid expectations of US Federal Reserve rate cuts and a softer dollar buoyed sentiment.

On the MCX, the yellow metal futures for October delivery surged by Rs 1,204 or 1.06 per cent to touch a lifetime high of Rs 1,14,992 per 10 grams. The December contract for gold futures also advanced Rs 1,034 or 0.9 per cent, to hit a record Rs 1,15,925 per 10 grams.

Last week, gold futures rallied by Rs 4,188, or 3.77 per cent, to close at Rs 1,14,891 per 10 grams on Friday.

"Gold prices have been shining for quite some time, and the past week saw gold prices touching new highs in the domestic as well as international markets," said Prathamesh Mallya, DVP-Research, Non-Agri Commodities and Currencies at Angel One.

 

He noted that the rally showed no signs of pausing, with investors caught in a dilemma of whether to enter or book profits at elevated levels.

"Tariff levies, the Russia-Ukraine war, US-China trade tensions, and a host of other factors continue to drive liquidity and momentum in gold prices in the recent past," Mallya added.

Silver futures too witnessed robust gains on Monday. The white metal for December delivery jumped Rs 2,290 or 1.61 per cent, to hit an all-time high of Rs 1,44,179 per kilogram.

The March 2026 contract for silver futures surged by Rs 2,559, or 1.79 per cent, to a fresh peak of Rs 1,45,817 per kg on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX).

In the previous week, silver futures had surged by Rs 12,051, or 9.28 per cent, to close at Rs 1,41,889 per kg.

Globally, bullion prices continued their upward march. Gold futures for December delivery rose nearly 1 per cent to touch a record high of USD 3,837.72 per ounce while silver climbed more than 1 per cent to hit a high of USD 47.39 per ounce.

"Gold prices climbed to a record high, driven by growing expectations of further US rate cuts and a weaker dollar," said Jigar Trivedi, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities.

He pointed out that the latest US Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation data matched market expectations and reinforced bets that the Federal Reserve could continue easing monetary policy later this year.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.18 per cent lower at 97.97, lending further support to precious metals.

"Traders are currently pricing in a 90 per cent chance of a rate cut in October and about a 65 per cent probability of an additional move in December. At the same time, investors are monitoring the risk of a potential US government shutdown, which could delay the release of key labour market data and complicate the Fed's decision-making process," Trivedi said.

Adding to the global uncertainty, US President Donald Trump last week announced a new round of tariffs on imported drugs, trucks, and furniture, effective October 1, clouding the economic outlook further.

Market experts said the interplay of monetary easing expectations, geopolitical tensions, and trade-related risks is expected to keep bullion prices elevated in the near term.

 

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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): 'Jai Bhim': These two words have come to symbolise the awakening and empowerment of the Dalit community in independent India, but not many people know how it originated.

The slogan, which also encapsulates the immense reverence in which Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is held, was first raised at the Makranpur Parishad, a conference organised at Makranpur village in Kannad teshil of today's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra.

Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitution, died on December 6, 1956.

Bhausaheb More, the first president of the Scheduled Castes Federation of Marathwada, organised the first Makranpur Parishad on December 30, 1938.

Dr Ambedkar spoke at the conference and asked the people not to support the princely state of Hyderabad under which much of central Maharashtra then fell, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Pravin More, Bhausaheb's son.

"When Bhausaheb stood up to speak, he said every community has its own deity and they greet each other using the name of that deity. Dr Ambedkar showed us the path of progress, and he is like God to us. So henceforth, we should say 'Jai Bhim' while meeting each other. The people responded enthusiastically. A resolution accepting 'Jai Bhim' as the community's slogan was also passed," More told PTI.

"My father came in contact with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his early years. Bhausaheb was aware of the atrocities the Nizam state committed on Dalits. He told Ambedkar about these atrocities, including the pressure to convert. Dr Ambedkar was strongly against these atrocities, and he decided to attend the 1938 conference," he said.

As Ambedkar was against the princely states, he was banned from giving speeches in the Hyderabad state but was allowed to travel through its territories. The Shivna river formed the border between Hyderabad and British India. Makranpur was chosen as the venue for the first conference because it was on the banks of Shivna but lay in the British territory, ACP More said.

The stage made of bricks, from where Dr Ambedkar addressed the conference, still stands. The conference is organised on December 30 every year to carry forward Ambedkar's thought, and the tradition was not discontinued even in 1972 when Maharashtra experienced one of the worst droughts in it history.

"My grandmother pledged her jewellery for the conference expenses. People from Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada attended it. Despite a ban imposed by the Nizam's police, Ambedkar's followers crossed the river to attend the event," said ACP More.

"This is the 87th year of Makranpur Parishad. We have deliberately retained the venue as it helps spread Ambedkar's thought in rural areas," he added.