Softer dollar gives gold prices a breather

Gold prices edged up on Thursday from nine-month lows touched in the previous session, after a break in the dollar’s rally alleviated pressure on bullion, but analysts warned that the relief was likely to be temporary.

Spot gold firmed 0.3% to $1,744.19/oz by 3.03am GMT, as the dollar dipped slightly from the 20-year highs reached on Wednesday, lending support to greenback-priced bullion. US gold futures rose 0.3% to $1,741.80.

“With momentum pointing south, dip buyers are effectively trying to catch a falling knife,” said Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index. “$1,721 and $1,700 are potential levels of support for bulls to consider taking a punt, but until the dollar tops, it likely is a punt.”

In the prior session, strength in the dollar pushed bullion down as much as 1.9% to its lowest level since September 30 at $1,731.00. “This decline has room to continue,” Ilya Spivak, a currency strategist at DailyFX said, adding that if gold falls through support at $1,715/oz, it could head under the $1,700 figure to the vicinity of about $1,680.

A deteriorating inflation situation prompted Federal Reserve officials to rally around an outsized interest rate increase, minutes of the US central bank’s June 14-15 policy meeting showed on Wednesday.

Trading in gold has been volatile over the past month as traders awaited a fresh catalyst for prices, which were hemmed into a range by support from a worsening economic outlook and the weight of an elevated dollar. Higher interest rates and bond yields lift the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

World equities on Thursday were caught between growth worries and relief that a slowdown might put the brakes on interest rate hikes. Spot silver rose 0.7% to $19.32/oz, platinum gained 0.2% to $857.53, and palladium climbed 1.2% to $1,927.92.

Reuters