Gold inches higher as investors weigh slowing pace of Fed rate hikes

Bengaluru — Gold prices inched higher on Thursday as investors weighed the chances of the US Federal Reserve slowing its pace of interest rate hikes, while a firmer dollar capped bullion’s gains.

Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,906.01 per ounce at 2.52am GMT. US gold futures fell 0.1% to $1,906.00.

Few Fed officials signalled on Wednesday that they would push on with more interest rate hikes, while Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said they supported a slower pace of tightening.

Traders are mostly pricing in a 25-basis-point (bps) rate hike at the Fed’s January 31-February 1 meeting. Last year, the US central bank slowed its pace of hikes to 50 bps in December after four straight 75 bps increases.

Markets still see a 25 bps hike in February and rate cuts from September, and gold is enjoying the perceived less hawkish Fed, said Matt Simpson, a senior market analyst at City Index.

Lower interest rates tend to boost bullion’s appeal as they decrease the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset.

Limiting gold’s gains, the dollar index climbed 0.1%. A stronger dollar makes greenback-priced bullion more expensive for overseas buyers.

“If gold can hold above $1,895, then prices will hold within the $1,900–$1,920 range, whereas a break below $1,895 signals a retracement against its bullish trend, ahead of a break above $1,930,” Simpson said.

Data on Wednesday showed US producer prices fell more than expected in December, offering more evidence that inflation was receding, while retail sales fell by the most in a year, putting consumer spending and the overall economy on a weaker growth path heading into 2023.

The weekly US jobless claim data due at 1.30pm GMT is on investors’ radar.

Spot silver lost 0.2% to $23.38 per ounce, platinum was flat at $1,038.38, and palladium fell 0.1% to $1,716.13.

Reuters