PRECIOUS-Gold eases from two-week high on firmer dollar
SPDR Gold GLD | 0.00 | |
ALBILAD GOLD ETF 9405.SA | 0.00 |
Updates prices as of 0750 GMT
By Pablo Sinha
July 6 (Reuters) - Gold pulled back from a two-week high on Monday, as the dollar edged up from recent lows, though easing bets on U.S. interest rate hikes limited bullion's losses.
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.2% at $4,165.21 per ounce, as of 0750 GMT, after hitting its highest since June 22 earlier in the day. U.S. gold futures GCcv1 for August delivery climbed 1.3% to $4,177.20 per ounce.
"Gold continues to face headwinds from a resilient U.S. dollar," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.
"This week's FOMC meeting minutes will be closely watched for clearer signals on the Fed's monetary policy leanings. Investors will be looking for evidence of whether other committee members share (Fed Chairman) Kevin Warsh's hawkish outlook or if there is more dovish sentiment within the group."
The dollar gained 0.2%, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies. USD/
Bullion gained more than 2% last week, snapping a four-week losing streak, after softer-than-expected U.S. payrolls data eased worries about persistent inflation and higher interest rates.
Data on Thursday showed U.S. job growth slowed sharply in June and payroll gains for the prior two months were revised lower, pointing to a cooling labour market and prompting markets to dial back bets for a near-term Federal Reserve rate hike.
Traders now see about a 56% chance of a rate increase in September, down from more than 60% before the data, according to the CME FedWatch tool. FEDWATCH/
Lower interest rates tend to be favourable to gold, as it is a non-yielding asset.
J.P. Morgan said demand for gold from key sectors would not be as strong as it had expected, capping bullion prices this year at $4,300 in the third quarter and $4,500 in the fourth quarter.
Among other metals, spot silver XAG= fell 0.2% to $62.28 per ounce after hitting its highest since June 23 earlier. Platinum XPT= gained 0.7% to $1,649.61 per ounce and palladium XPD= was up 1.1% at $1,288.14 per ounce.