Gold Hits over 2-week Low as Higher US Dollar, Yields Dent Appeal

Marked ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold are placed in a cart at the Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
Marked ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold are placed in a cart at the Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
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Gold Hits over 2-week Low as Higher US Dollar, Yields Dent Appeal

Marked ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold are placed in a cart at the Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
Marked ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold are placed in a cart at the Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo

Gold prices slipped 1% to their lowest level in more than two weeks, weighed down by a stronger dollar and higher bond yields, while traders looked forward to US inflation data due later this week.

Spot gold fell 0.9% to $2,299.40 per ounce by 10:03 a.m. ET (1403 GMT), hitting its lowest since June 10. US gold futures also fell 0.8% to $2,311.30, Reuters reported.

"At this point, market may very well be responding to the firmer US dollar and we continue to price in the possibility that the US Federal Reserve is unlikely to move (interest rates) earlier in the summer," said Bart Melek, head of commodity strategies at TD Securities.

The dollar rose 0.4% to a near two-month peak against its rivals, making gold more expensive for other currency holders, while benchmark US 10-year yields hit a near two-week high.

Focus this week will be on the US personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, Fed's preferred inflation gauge, that could shed more light on the US interest rate path.

Also on the radar, US first-quarter gross domestic product estimates and a crucial debate between US President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump on Thursday.

Data out on Tuesday showed US consumer confidence eased in June amid worries about the economic outlook, but households remained upbeat about the labor market and expected inflation to moderate over the next year.

Fed Governor Michelle Bowman on Tuesday reiterated her view that holding the policy rate steady "for some time" will probably be enough to bring inflation under control, but also repeated her willingness to raise borrowing costs if needed.

Higher interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

Spot silver fell 0.5% to $28.79, palladium lost 2.8% to $921.75, while platinum climbed 1.7% to $998.75.



Gold Eyes Best Quarter in over Eight Years

A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)
A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)
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Gold Eyes Best Quarter in over Eight Years

A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)
A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)

Gold halted its record run on Friday but remained on track for its best quarter since 2016 after a rally catalysed by an outsized US Federal Reserve interest rate cut, while markets braced themselves for a crucial inflation report due later in the day.

Spot gold was down 0.1% at $2,666.50 per ounce as of 1115 GMT, below the all-time peak of $2,685.42 hit in the previous session. It is heading for its best quarter since the first three months of 2016.

US gold futures fell 0.2% to $2,688.90, Reuters reported.

"The market at this point in time has priced in all the good news and there's also some hesitancy from fresh buyers to get involved at these record high levels," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.

Bullion has risen 29% so far this year, hitting successive record peaks after last week's half-percentage-point cut by the Federal Reserve and the stimulus measures announced by China earlier this week.

Silver prices surged, tracking bullion's strong performance, though some analysts warn that the rally may fade.

"Overall, industrial demand is still supportive for silver. But we need to have a stronger economic performance in China as well as in other developed countries," said ANZ commodity strategist Soni Kumari.

The surge in silver prices is more a spillover impact from gold, Kumari said.

Spot silver eased 0.1% to $31.98 per ounce, after hitting its highest since December 2012 at $32.71 on Thursday. It is set for a third straight week of gains.

"I do believe silver will continue to outperform gold. But as we all know, wherever gold goes, silver tends to go, but faster," Hansen added.

Both gold and silver serve as safe-haven investments, but the latter has more industrial applications, so tends to underperform during recessions and outperform when economies expand.

Inflows into gold exchange-traded funds, particularly from Western investors, are set to rise in coming months, adding yet more positive stimulus for already record high bullion prices. Some banks expect gold to rise towards $3,000.

In other metals, platinum was up 0.5% at $1,012.40 but palladium fell nearly 1.5% to $1,031.75.