Gold Gains as Dollar off 2-month Highs on Fed Rate Cut Expectations

A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
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Gold Gains as Dollar off 2-month Highs on Fed Rate Cut Expectations

A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk

Gold extended gains after the release of the latest data on US producer prices on Friday, as the US dollar pulled back from two-month highs on heightened expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut in November.

Spot gold rose 0.7% to $2,647.55 per ounce by 1316 GMT. US gold futures gained about 1% to $2,665.

US producer prices were unchanged in September, pointing to a still-favorable inflation outlook and supporting views that the Fed would cut interest rates again next month.

"After stronger-than-expected US jobs data and higher-than-expected inflation data, the market is a bit split on how many rate cuts we will see from the Fed over the coming months," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said, Reuters reported.

Data on Thursday showed US consumer prices rose slightly more than expected in September, but the annual increase in inflation was the smallest in more than 3-1/2 years.

Slowly cooling inflation and a US job market that remains strong but at the risk of deteriorating give a green light for more interest-rate cuts in coming months, Fed policymakers indicated on Thursday.

The CME FedWatch tool shows markets currently see an 84.4% chance of a 25-basis-point rate reduction in November and a 15.6% probability of the Fed keeping rates on hold.

"Gold prices are likely to stay volatile in the short term, but we look for higher prices as we look for further rate cuts by the Fed," Staunovo said.

Gold is on track for its second straight week of declines after prices retreated from a record high of $2,685.42 hit last month.

Physical gold dealers in India charged premiums for the first time in two months this week as the upcoming festival season attracted some jewellery buying.

Spot silver rose 0.7% to $31.41 per ounce and platinum climbed 1.2% to $979.20. Both metals were headed for weekly declines.

Palladium firmed 0.2% at $1,071 and was up nearly 6% for the week.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.