Oct 16 (Reuters) - Gold prices extended gains to a second session on Wednesday, driven by weaker equities and bond yields, while traders eagerly await U.S. economic data to gauge the Federal Reserve's timeline on a potential rate reduction.
Spot gold was up 0.5% at $2,675.25 per ounce, as of 1033 GMT, and trading about $10 below a record high of $2,685.42 scaled last month. U.S. gold futures gained 0.5% to $2,691.90.
"Seems the gold market wants to see a record high, with prices marginally below the late-September record high with support coming from a slightly risk-off environment with equities down," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.
Safe-haven bullion tends to be a preferred investment in a low interest rate environment and during economic and geopolitical turmoil.
"The uncertainly surrounding U.S. elections and geopolitical tensions will also support gold going forward," said ANZ commodity strategist Soni Kumari.
The benchmark 10-year note yields slipped to more than a one-week low, making non-yielding gold more attractive.
Market participants are keeping a keen eye on U.S. retail sales, industrial production and weekly jobless claims data, due on Thursday.
Gold needs a stronger-than-expected data to change the rate-cut trajectory, but this should still boost investment demand and drive prices to a record high in the coming months, UBS' Staunovo said.
San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly said the central bank remains on track for more cuts this year as long as data meets expectations.
Delegates at the London Bullion Market Association's annual gathering predicted gold prices would rise to $2,941 over the next 12 months and silver prices would jump to $45 per ounce.
Spot silver firmed 1.1% to $31.83. Platinum rose 0.6% to $990.05 and palladium was up 0.6% to $1,015.75.
The Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX) will launch platinum and palladium futures in Q1 2025, according to the producers' council.
Reporting by Daksh Grover and Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips, Elaine Hardcastle
