Gold firms on support from weaker dollar

Bengaluru — Gold prices edged higher on Wednesday as the dollar eased and weaker-than-expected US jobs data cemented the expectation that the Federal Reserve’s policy tightening cycle has come to an end.

Spot gold rose 0.2% at $2,023.39/oz by 4.15am GMT. US gold futures for February delivery also rose 0.2% to $2,041.00.

“Volatility in gold prices is likely to remain capped heading into Friday’s US non-farm payrolls data,” said City Index Senior Analyst Matt Simpson.

“It might take a particularly weak set of numbers for gold to post strong gains from here — as many bullish fingers were likely burnt with gold’s false break to a record high.”

Bullion climbed to a record high of $2,135.40 on Monday on elevated bets for a Fed rate cut, before dropping more than $100 in the same session, on uncertainty over the timing of the monetary policy easing.

Data on Tuesday showed US job openings fell to a more than two-and-a-half year low in October, signalling that higher rates were dampening demand for workers.

The dollar index fell 0.1% against a basket of currencies after rising to a two-week high on Tuesday, making gold less expensive for other currency holders.

Focus now shifts to the Friday release of the November non-farm payrolls data that could provide more clues on US interest rate outlook ahead of Fed’s policy meeting next week.

Traders are pricing in about a 60% chance of a rate cut by March next year, CME’s FedWatch Tool shows. Lower interest rates tend to support non-interest-bearing bullion.

Spot gold may bounce into a range of $2,033/oz-$2,039/oz, as it has stabilised around a support of $2,009, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.

Silver rose 0.5% to $24.24/oz, while platinum gained 0.1% to $900.31. Palladium rose 0.6% to $940.14/oz, hovering near a more than five year low.

Reuters