The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders brushed aside the Gulf Giants by 32 runs to seal a top-four finish in the World ILT20 Season 4 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. In the final league match of the season, the Knight Riders secured a crucial win and will face Dubai Capitals in the Eliminator on January 1. Desert Vipers, meanwhile, take on MI Emirates in Qualifier 1 on December 30 for a place in the final.A mammoth 131-run opening partnership between Michael Pepper (83 off 51 balls) and Phil Salt (72* off 56) paved the Knight Riders’ path to the playoffs. The duo’s commanding half-centuries powered the side to an imposing 179/1. In reply, Moeen Ali’s swashbuckling fifty briefly kept the Giants in the hunt, but a lack of support and late double strikes from Sunil Narine and Andre Russell ensured the target remained out of reach.

Defending 180, Jason Holder set the tone by dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck in the opening over and later removing James Vince (19 off 10). Ajay Kumar chipped in by sending back Ben Kellaway (5 off 8), while Narine conceded just five runs across his first two overs. By the end of the powerplay, the Giants were reeling at 32/3.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Moeen Ali (79 off 49) counter-attacked to revive the chase, breaking free with a six off Liam Livingstone before punishing Piyush Chawla with boundaries and a maximum. He reached his half-century off 31 balls and added 45 runs with Kyle Mayers (6 off 10). However, Narine struck twice in the 15th over to remove Mayers and Sean Dickson, tightening the Knight Riders’ grip.

The decisive moment arrived in the 18th over when Andre Russell dismissed Moeen and Aayan Khan in consecutive deliveries. The Knight Riders closed out the death overs expertly, restricting the Giants to 147/9 and sealing an emphatic victory.Earlier, Salt and Pepper laid the foundation with a brisk 56-run powerplay stand. Pepper raced to a 31-ball fifty, while Salt played the anchor as the pair brought up a 100-run partnership in 67 balls — only the second century stand of the season. Aayan Khan eventually broke the stand when Pepper holed out in the 15th over after striking six fours and four sixes.

Salt reached his half-century off 44 balls before adding an unbeaten 48-run stand with Liam Livingstone (18* off 13). Two sixes in the final over helped the Knight Riders finish strongly at 179/1.Player of the Match Michael Pepper said, “It was about being patient and waiting for the right match-ups. When the spinners came on, Salt allowed me to take most of the strike and I was happy to take responsibility. As a group, we just need to keep putting in the hard work.”

Gulf Giants captain James Vince said, “They scored 20 to 30 runs above par on that surface. We couldn’t strike early and full credit to Pepper and Salt. Our bowling wasn’t at the level we needed, and while Moeen played a very good knock, six losses in a row is tough to take.”Brief Scores Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: 179/1 in 20 overs (Michael Pepper 83, Phil Salt 72 not out; Aayan Khan 1/34) Gulf Giants: 147/9 in 20 overs (Moeen Ali 79, James Vince 19; Andre Russell 3/13, Sunil Narine 2/14, Jason Holder 2/24)

NEW DELHI: Congress leader TS Singh Deo on Sunday defended Digvijaya Singh‘s remarks on the RSS‘s organisational strength, stating that Singh intended to highlight areas for improvement within the Congress party, not to imitate the RSS.Speaking with ANI, Deo emphasised that organisational strengthening is a continuous process and that the Congress should focus on its own growth.“Digvijaya Singh is much senior to me; I cannot comment on his statement. He will be able to explain it better, but as far as strengthening the organisation is concerned, it is a continuous process…In any organisation, whether it is the BJP, RSS, or any other, everyone’s work is reviewed. The BJP certainly reviews the Congress and other parties… So, Digvijaya Singh’s intention was not to imitate anyone, but he spoke about what we can do to strengthen the organisation...,” said Deo.Singh had sparked controversy by praising the RSS’s organisational strength, citing Narendra Modi‘s rise to power as an example. He later clarified that he rejects the RSS’s ideology but admires its organisational capabilities.Other Congress leaders, like Pawan Khera and Manickam Tagore, criticised Singh’s comments, equating the RSS with hatred and violence.Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday reiterated his remarks that he remains firmly opposed to the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) but admires their organisational capacity.Singh said, “I’ve been saying this from the beginning: I am opposed to the ideology of the RSS. They neither respect the Constitution nor the country’s laws, and it’s an unregistered organisation. But I admire their organisational capacity because an organisation that isn’t even registered has become so powerful that the Prime Minister says from the Red Fort that it is the world’s largest NGO.”What fanned the rumours of internal differences within the Congress was his comment on the party’s organisational strength.Singh said, “I can say this much that there is room for improvement, and every organisation should always have room for improvement,” he said.His remarks came after he shared a black-and-white photograph from the 1990s on December 27 on the social question-and-answer website Quora, showing a young Narendra Modi seated on the floor near senior BJP leader LK Advat an event in Gujarat.“I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive. In what way did the grassroots swayamsevak of RSS and the worker of Jan Sangh @BJP4India sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country? This is the power of the organisation. Jai Siya Ram. @INCIndia @INCMP@kharge @RahulGandhi @priyankagandhi @Jairam_Ramesh @narendramodi,” Singh’s X post read.Responding to criticism over his social media post and praise for RSS, Singh said his remarks had been misunderstood. “I support the organisation. I am against the RSS and Modi ji. You have misunderstood. I have praised ‘sangathan’. I was, am, and will remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi. Is it a bad thing to strengthen and praise the organisation?” he said.

“The Big Short“ investor Michael Burry has a China warning for the US. Burry, one of the most influential Wall Street investors, has warned that America’s reliance on power-hungry Nvidia chips will hand China victory in the artificial intelligence (AI) race. In a recent post shared on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter), he pointed to a widening energy production gap that he argues makes America’s current AI development strategy unsustainable. Sharing a chart comparing energy production growth across regions, Burry wrote that China’s advantage extends beyond total power capacity to the rate of acceleration, while US transmission grid development is actually decelerating due to permitting issues, even as China builds transmission infrastructure freely to match its expanding power output. In his X post, Burry shared a chart showing how China’s energy production has increased drastically compared to the US and the EU. He wrote: “Why China will win AI in one chart. Power hungry Nvidia chips are not the way forward for the U.S. It is not just the total power advantage. It is the slope.”

Why ‘The Big Short’ investor thinks Nvidia’s AI development roadmap is not right for the US

The hedge fund manager argues that Nvidia’s development strategy is essentially a power-consumption roadmap, with innovation focused on powering and cooling larger, hotter silicon as efficiency gains fail to keep pace with compute density. According to Burry, this creates a structural problem for American companies pouring capital into what he characterises as “a race it is structurally positioned to lose.” He also suggests that the US must pivot away from increasingly power-intensive chips toward AI-tuned ASICs instead. He believes that this transition is being hindered by Nvidia’s influence through investments and agreements with major US AI companies and startups.

Replying to his initial post, Burry wrote: “My post here was inexact. My post elsewhere was more complete, below. This chart shows why China will win if Nvidia’s chips are the way forward. Nvidia’s development roadmap is essentially a power consumption roadmap. and innovation is just figuring out how to power and to cool bigger, hotter silicon. Power needs keep climbing because efficiency gains cannot keep up with compute install. This chart shows that is not a path to victory for the U.S.Not only is China way ahead, it will continue to press its advantage – the slope is the key. That is acceleration of power generation development. US transmission grid development is actually decelerating due to permitting issues while China is building transmission at will to match power output. In fact, to the extent this is an AI arms race, US companies are plowing capital into a race it is structurally positioned to lose. So it cannot be an AI arms race, if the US can help it.The US needs to get away from bigger and bigger power hungry chips and innovate with AI-tuned ASICs like nobody’s business. Nvidia has a death grip on development through its investments and agreements with so many important US AI companies and startups.DOJ Antitrust is investigating and should act, but Trump probably stops that. It is left to the market to figure out LLMs are not the way to AGI or ASI, and stop feeding the beast. Can our biggest companies make the pivot?”

The Goods and Services Tax reforms, announced on September 22 gave a much needed push to consumer demand, as sales volumes for household essentials and groceries rose sharply in the October-December quarter, as compared to a year earlier.According to executives citing NielsenIQ data and internal company numbers, volumes expanded by around 9–10% in the December quarter, up from 7.1% in the same period last year. This marked the first full quarter after GST rates were reduced on a range of items from September 22, and the data suggests the move helped to revive the inflation-led slowdown that had crippled consumption for multiple quarters, ET reported.The increase in volume growth suggests that more products were sold across a range of categories such as soaps, detergents, snacks and noodles, despite trade disruption and restocking challenges. “The first quarter (after) GST reforms clearly shows volume growth and a further narrowing of the urban-rural gap,” said Mayank Shah, vice-president at Parle Products.“We expect the momentum to continue over the next two quarters, with a clear focus on premiumisation,” Shah told ET. However, though volumes strengthened, value growth remained muted due to widespread price cuts across fast-moving consumer goods. By value, FMCG sales rose 10–11% during the December quarter, broadly flat as compared with 10.6% growth a year earlier, data cited by ET showed.The revised GST structure brought down tax rates on everyday essentials such as soaps, shampoos, toothpaste and food products to 5%, from earlier slabs of 12% or 18%. However, the transition was not swift! Many companies saw their supplies shrinking temporarily as distributors and retailers avoided tying up working capital by placing orders and seeking credit adjustments for price differences, ET reported.Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting, which owns brands such as Santoor and Yardley, attributed the uptick in demand to a combination of factors building over time. “There are income tax benefits which still exist in the system,” said chief executive Vineet Agarwal. “Commodity prices, including crude oil, are now cooling. All of this is clearly positive. The monsoon has been good, which adds to the overall picture. So, the direction is encouraging.”Demand in urban markets had begun to weaken from the middle of last year as rising fuel and commodity costs squeezed household budgets. At the same time, established consumer goods companies, from noodle makers to detergent manufacturers, have faced intensifying competition from regional and digital-first brands.Even so, industry leaders remain optimistic about upcoming months. “The outlook is quite positive,” Sudhir Sitapati, managing director at Godrej Consumer Products told ET. “GDP growth seems good, and all the factors for consumption growth are in place. I am expecting the demand outlook to be good on the back of both GST and income tax reduction. There is more money in consumers’ hands, so hopefully that will drive growth.”In the previous quarter, a majority of listed FMCG companies expected the second half of FY26 to deliver volume-led growth as supply chains normalise.Earlier data from NielsenIQ also highlighted a shift in demand patterns. In its July–September update, the research firm noted that rural markets had outpaced urban areas by volume growth for seven straight quarters, although the gap narrowed as cities showed signs of recovery.Rural volumes grew 7.7% in the September quarter, compared with 3.7% growth in urban markets.

Panaji: Jamshedpur FC are the only side to have confirmed they will play in the top league this season, regardless of the format, while Odisha FC have told the All India Football Federation (AIFF) they are likely to opt out “if there are any costs to the club” without a commercial partner being brought on board.Club officials of Jamshedpur and Odisha made their stances clear during Sunday’s online meeting between all top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) clubs and the federation’s four-member panel that included deputy secretary general, M Satyanarayan.The meeting was called to finalise the short-term plan for this season’s ISL, but despite the federation appearing keen on making an early announcement, the clubs sought clarity before confirming participation. The only agreement between the two parties was that the league will not be played on a regular home-and-away basis since many of the venues have remained unused for nine months and clubs will struggle to get them ready within a month.“All of us want to play football, there is no denying that. But in conversations (between the clubs), we felt a few things needed to be addressed, which will allow us to take steps forward for the short term,” said one club official.The clubs have asked AIFF to seek clarity from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) if the governing body can grant a one-time exemption to the 24-match league criteria, a mandatory requirement for qualification to Asian competitions.The format for this season’s ISL – centralised Conference model or centralised single-leg format where each team plays the other once – will depend on AFC response, expected in the next 48 hours.“If AFC insists on 24 matches, which is not possible this season, and we have to give up on the continental spot, the plan is to make the season very cost-effective,” said the official.According to estimates prepared by the clubs, they will need approx. Rs 35-40 crore for organisation of the league. Questions were asked of AIFF if it will contribute to the cost.When told by AIFF officials that clubs will most likely have to share the cost, with each one contributing Rs 2.5 crore, a senior official said there are possibilities a few clubs may not participate, eventually increasing their contribution towards organisation and production of matches.“We are all under extreme pressure from our owners to ensure that costs do not spiral out of control,” said the official.Meanwhile, Odisha, who did not take part in the Super Cup, have informed the AIFF that they will pull out of the ISL this season, if they have to bear an additional cost, without having a commercial partner on board.“The Odisha representative relayed a message that was conveyed to him by the owners. The top priority he said was cost. If there is a long-term commercial partner, then the club will invest this season, but if there is nothing, Odisha will be the first one to opt out,” said one source who attended Sunday’s online meeting.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape host Pretoria Capitals in the 5th match of SA20 2025-26 at St George’s Park, Gqeberha, on Monday. Sunrisers Eastern Cape enter as favorites after a dominant win over Paarl Royals, posting 186/4 and bowling them out for 49. Pretoria Capitals lost their opener by 22 runs to Joburg Super Kings, struggling with the bat.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape, led by Tristan Stubbs, boast a balanced squad with Quinton de Kock, Jonny Bairstow, Anrich Nortje, and Marco Jansen. Pretoria Capitals, captained by Keshav Maharaj, rely on firepower from Andre Russell, Dewald Brevis, and Lungi Ngidi but showed batting frailties early.

SEC vs PC, SA20 2025-26: Match details

• Date and Time: December 29 (Monday); 9:00 pm IST / 03:30 pm GMT / 5:30 pm Local
• Venue: St George’s Park in Gqeberha

Head-to-Head Record in SA20 2025-26:

Matches played: 7 | Sunrisers Eastern Cape won: 3 | Pretoria Capitals won: 4 | No result/Tied: 0

St George’s Park Pitch Report

St George’s Park in Gqeberha features a bowler-friendly pitch, particularly suiting fast bowlers with its consistent pace, bounce, and seam movement, as seen in recent SA20 games. The surface offers early assistance to pacers, who have claimed more wickets than spinners, while batters need to settle in against disciplined lines. Expect short boundaries to aid power-hitters later, but low bounce in middle overs could trigger collapses. Dew factor tomorrow evening may further tilt scales.

Squads

Pretoria Capitals: Will Smeed, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Shai Hope, Dewald Brevis, Roston Chase, Andre Russell, Bryce Parsons, Codi Yusuf, Gideon Peters, Keshav Maharaj (c), Lungi Ngidi, Tymal Mills, Lizaad Williams, Sibonelo Makhanya, Wihan Lubbe, Keith Dudgeon, Junaid Dawood, Sherfane Rutherford, Jordan Cox, Daniel Smith, Meeka eel Prince

Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tristan Stubbs (c), Lewis Gregory, Matthew Breetzke, Marco Jansen, Patrick Kruger, Senuran Muthusamy, Adam Milne, Anrich Nortje, Chris Wood, Allah Ghazanfar, JP King, Christopher King, Jordan Hermann, Mitchell Van Buuren, Tharindu Rathnayake, James Coles, Beyers Swanepoel, Lutho Sipamla

Also READ: SA20 2026: Complete squads of all six teams after the players’ auction

SEC vs PC, SA20 2025-26: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• Sunrisers Eastern Cape wins the toss and bowls first
• Pretoria Capitals’ powerplay score: 45-55 (6 overs)
• Pretoria Capitals’ total score: 155-165

Case 2:

• Pretoria Capitals wins the toss and bowls first
• Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s powerplay score: 55-65 (6 overs)
• Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s total score: 170-180

Match result: Team bowling first to win the contest

Also READ: Sunrisers Eastern Cape skittle Paarl Royals for SA20’s lowest-ever total in one-sided win

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing controversy over Digvijaya Singh‘s remarks praising the RSS’s organisational strength, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Revanth Reddy hailed Sonia Gandhi‘s role in Congress leadership, citing examples of elevation of Manmohan Singh and P V Narasimha Rao to the post of Prime Minister.In a social media post on X, Reddy, on the 140th foundation day of the Congress, said that the party “has shaped every defining chapter of modern India.”

“Congress: a force for the people of India was born 140 years ago on this day. The story of the Indian National Congress is the story of Indian democracy in motion. When one reflects on the leadership of Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji, we find service, commitment, ethics and values,” Reddy said.“Under Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji’s leadership, it became possible for Shri P V Narasimha Rao garu, who started his public career from a remote village in Telangana, to rise to become Prime Minister of the country. Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji also made an economist like Dr Manmohan Singh Ji the Prime Minister. From leading India’s freedom struggle to framing the Constitution, from building democratic institutions to uniting a diverse nation, the Indian National Congress has shaped every defining chapter of modern India,” he added.This comes after Digvijaya Singh stirred a controversy by sharing a black-and-white photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on the floor near senior BJP leader L K Advani in Gujarat.Singh commented on the ability of grassroots workers to ascend through the ranks to become chief minister and eventually Prime Minister, attributing it to the “power of organisation.”He tagged several senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Prime Minister Modi, and the official Congress handles.Reportedly, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister rued “over-centralisation” in the Congress and pushed for decentralisation in the presence of top leadership at the CWC meeting held on Saturday.He also complained that district and state chiefs were appointed by the AICC and questioned why decisions taken at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir, including setting up an election management department, had not been implemented.Last week, Singh had also praised Rahul Gandhi for his stance on socio-economic issues, giving him “full marks,” while calling for internal reforms within the Congress. Drawing a parallel with Rahul Gandhi’s push for Election Commission reforms, Singh argued that the party itself needed similar changes.In another post on X, he wrote, “Rahul ji, you are absolutely ‘bang on’ in matters of socio-economic issues. Full marks. But now please look at Congress also. Like the Election Commission needs reforms, so does the Indian National Congress. You have started with ‘Sangathan Srijan’, but we need more pragmatic, decentralised functioning.”He added, “I am sure you would do it because I know you can do it. The only problem is that it is not easy to ‘convince’ you!!”

NEW DELHI: The third round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) will be played on Monday, with Delhi and Mumbai both looking to extend their unbeaten runs in the tournament. However, both sides will be without their biggest names, as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will not feature in this round.Delhi are scheduled to take on Saurashtra at the Karnataka Cricket Association (KSCA) Stadium in Alur, while Mumbai will face Chhattisgarh at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground in Jaipur.

Both teams will be will be without the services of Kohli and Rohit, who had committed to playing only the first two matches of the competition.

Why are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma not playing?

Kohli and Rohit had agreed to limited appearances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and were slated to play just two games in the tournament.Kohli played a pivotal role in Delhi’s wins over Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, scoring 131 and 77 respectively. His return to the competition was noteworthy, coming after a gap of 15 years.Rohit, meanwhile, marked his comeback to the VHT after seven years in emphatic fashion, smashing 155 against Sikkim in his opening match. He also featured against Uttarakhand but suffered a rare golden duck, being dismissed off the first ball he faced.

Will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play more matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy?

As per reports, Kohli is expected to return for Delhi’s penultimate league match against Railways on January 6 in Alur.He is set to feature in that game before joining the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which begins on January 11.Rohit, on the other hand, is unlikely to feature again in the tournament this season.

Virat Kohli in VHT:

Delhi vs Gujarat – 77 off 61 balls (Player of the Match)Delhi vs Andhra – 131 off 101 balls

Rohit Sharma in VHT:

Mumbai vs Uttarakhand – 0 (golden duck)Mumbai vs Sikkim – 155 off 94 balls (Player of the Match)

Picture this: You step out of the airport and into the open doors of a chauffeured car. You are driven to a sleek building in an upscale neighbourhood, where staff greet you with a cool drink as the manager checks you in. You are shown your room, wallpapered, wainscoted and well provisioned, and introduced to the amenities: a rooftop pool, gym, community lounge, reading and dining rooms. A run-through of weekend activities follows: coffee parties by the pool, Pilates sessions, barbeques. “And here’s the call button for the concierge,” smiles the manager.Driven by competition and shifting Gen Z aspirations, the student hostel has had a glow-up.“These are nothing like your conventional hostels and PGs,” says Rohan Gupta, co-founder and chief marketing officer at Colstay Ltd, which owns the luxury student residence brand Aurus and Hive Hostels, a mid-range variant. The hostel described above is Aurus Chapter 1 in Vile Parle, a 275-bed facility for female students, run by a staff of 75. “We launched Aurus two years ago when our students at Hive wanted a more elevated experience. We now have four of these properties in Mumbai – two for girls and two for boys – and plan to launch in Ahmedabad, Noida and Pune next year.” Premium residences are the newest segment in student housing, with monthly rentals starting at Rs 50,000 for a single bed in a triple-occupancy room, along with a three-month deposit.Living it upStudent hostels today offer conveniences that, until a decade ago, were associated mainly with overseas campuses, including professional housekeeping and laundry services, AC rooms, snack vending machines, lounges, pickleball courts, swimming pools, jacuzzis, community events, college drop-offs and doctors on call. There is usually a property manager to deal with everything from a broken bolt to glitchy WiFi.“Everything’s included in the rent,” says Gaurav Bhathena, director of Student Housing India Ltd, a company his father Kamlesh Bhathena founded in 2015 with just 20 beds and few frills, in Juhu. Today, the company operates more than 1,100 beds across 15 facilities, complete with its own pools and pickleball courts. Depending on the neighbourhood and room configuration, annual rentals range from Rs 5 to 7 lakh. Upscale hostels are also appearing in emerging education hubs such as Jaipur, Vizag, Noida, Ahmedabad and Dehradun. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education 2021-22, student enrolment rose 4.6% from the previous year to nearly 4.3 crore. Meanwhile, the Economic Survey 2024-25 reported a 13.8% increase in higher education institutions between 2014-15 and 2022-23. On-campus housing, however, has not expanded at the same pace.The India Brand Equity Foundation estimates an 80% gap between on-campus housing capacity and the student population, a shortfall the private student housing market aims to bridge. Valued at Rs 6,822 crore by 2030, the sector is positioning itself as a crucial extension of campus infrastructure.It’s a win-win for both companies and colleges, says Shivansh Gambhir, marketing manager at Delhi-based Communezen Ventures, which runs Uniliv, a premium student housing brand, and Huddle Stays, a more affordable one.A sound investmentThe rapid growth of the sector has drawn investor attention. Hive Hostels, which plans to launch its IPO soon, is valued at $35 million after securing seed funding of $1.15 million from Anchorage Capital Group earlier this year. Communezen Ventures raised $2.78 million in its latest funding round through a combination of equity and debt.Developers are also looking to strike deals. “Some of them prefer a rental portfolio to selling because they want to hold onto their inventory, perhaps to retain it as a family asset,” says Mayank Bajaj, founder of The Livlit, a co-living company where students, interns and working professionals cohabit. “When a builder leases their property to a student housing or co-living space, they earn a 6-7% rental and 5-7% capital appreciation every five years. The average yield is a comfortable 13%.”Today, many student housing companies are also acquiring land themselves and constructing built-for-purpose properties with compact rooms and large common areas. There’s nothing basic about the student housing business today; the brief is simple: floor ’em.

Silver continued its glittering rally on Monday, surging past the $80-an-ounce mark. The white metal’s momentum was lifted by tight supplies, rising industrial demand and expectations of further US interest rate cuts. Besides silver, platinum also touched a record high, briefly.Spot silver jumped 3.8% to $82.15 an ounce, after earlier hitting an all-time high of $83.62, according to Reuters.The metal has spiked 181% so far this year, sharply outperforming gold, as it broke through the $80 level amid supply constraints, low inventories and growing industrial and investment demand. Its inclusion on the US critical minerals list has also added to investor interest. The white metal later slipped 1.3% to $78.12 per ounce as investors booked profits.“A combination of profit-taking and seemingly productive talks between Trump and Zelenskyy regarding a potential peace deal have put gold, silver on the back foot,” KCM trade chief market analyst Tim Waterer told Reuters. Gold prices eased slightly after scaling fresh highs in the previous session. Spot gold slipped 0.1% to $4,527.79 per ounce by 1152 GMT on December 28, having touched a record $4,549.71 earlier. US gold futures for February delivery were steady at $4,553.10 an ounce. Gold has been lifted by a mix of factors, including US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and bets on further easing, geopolitical tensions, sustained buying by central banks seeking to diversify away from US securities and the dollar, and rising holdings in exchange-traded funds. Traders continue to price in two US rate cuts next year, a backdrop that tends to favour non-yielding assets. The US dollar hovered near the two-month lows reached last Wednesday, offering some support to bullion, which has enjoyed a strong rally in 2025, climbing 72% so far. Geopolitical developments also remained in focus. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Among other precious metals, spot platinum slipped 0.8% to $2,429.10 an ounce after earlier rising to a record $2,478.50, while palladium edged up 0.1% to $2,003.83 an ounce.