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Lebanon’s Mikati Expresses Hope of IMF Accord in Weeks

Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. (Dalati Nohra)
Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. (Dalati Nohra)
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Lebanon’s Mikati Expresses Hope of IMF Accord in Weeks

Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. (Dalati Nohra)
Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. (Dalati Nohra)

A delegation from the International Monetary Fund will start talks in Lebanon on March 29, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday, expressing hope of a deal in the coming weeks.

"Next Tuesday they will start their mission in Lebanon," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar.

"Hopefully ... by the end of two weeks we will see the light," Mikati said.

The Lebanese pound has lost more than 90% of its value since 2019, when the financial system collapsed, plunging the majority of Lebanese into poverty, according to UN agencies.

Reforms demanded by donors to provide assistance to Lebanon include steps to tackle widespread corruption, tax dodging and government deficits - the root causes of the meltdown.

"We don't have an option, it is an obligatory path to negotiate with the IMF and to achieve an agreement," he added.

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Gold Bounces Back from One-month Low after Fed Jitters

Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo
Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo
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Gold Bounces Back from One-month Low after Fed Jitters

Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo
Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

Gold prices erased losses to gain on Thursday, after dipping to the lowest level in a month earlier in the day on the Federal Reserve's hint of a possible rate cut slowdown next year.
Spot gold gained 1.2% to $2,617.96 per ounce as of 0748 GMT, having hit its lowest since Nov. 18 in early trade. However, US gold futures were trading 0.8% lower at $2,632.00.
Bullion declined more than 2% on Wednesday after the Fed lowered rates by 25 basis points as expected, but indicated that there will be fewer cuts by the end of 2025, boosting the dollar and bond yields.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said more reductions in borrowing costs now hinge on further progress in lowering stubbornly high inflation.
"The big question over here is that because the Fed says they will still be data-dependent and if Trump's policy starts to actually see inflation, a big risk would be that the Fed may not cut rates next year at all," said Kelvin Wong, OANDA's senior market analyst for Asia Pacific.
Markets now expect interest rates to remain unchanged at the Fed's January meeting.
"A rate cut is usually supportive for the yellow metal... but right now gold is up on short-covering after the dip," said Ajay Kedia, director at Kedia Commodities, Mumbai.
Traders are now awaiting key US GDP, initial jobless claims data later in the day and core PCE data - the Fed's preferred inflation measure - on Friday.
"If the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data comes in line with expectations that shouldn't be a big surprise. But in case it inches up to 3% and above, we could see some pressure on gold again," Wong said, adding that very short-term oriented speculators are looking for opportunities to buy the dips.
Higher rates dull the appeal of the non-yielding asset.
Spot silver gained 0.8% to $29.59 per ounce, platinum added 0.9% to $927.75 and palladium advanced 1.7% to $917.86.