Gold climbs to more than three-month high as markets await US inflation data

Kitco Media
By Reuters
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Reuters
Gold climbs to more than three-month high as markets await US inflation data teaser image

Aug 24 (Reuters) - Gold rose to its highest in more than three months on ‌Monday, building on gains from last week as a muted dollar boosted appeal, while investors awaited U.S. inflation data and remarks from Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh this week for ​signals on the interest-rate path.

Spot gold was up 1% at $4,649.08 per ounce ​by 1004 GMT, hitting its highest level since May 15, while ⁠U.S. gold futures rose 0.6% to $4,706.20.

Bullion rose more than 5% last week after ​the U.S. Treasury Department's buyback support plan pushed the dollar lower, making greenback-priced bullion ​more affordable for foreign investors.

"The consolidation of gold prices above $4,600, and the potential for further gains, will depend to a large extent on the U.S. dollar remaining under pressure and Treasury ​yields stabilizing at current levels or declining further," ActivTrades senior analyst Ricardo ​Evangelista said.

The dollar was pinned near multi-month lows on Monday.

Market participants are now awaiting the July ‌Personal ⁠Consumption Expenditure price index due on Wednesday and Warsh's speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday to gauge the policymakers' outlook on interest rates.

Traders are pricing in about a 36% chance of a rate-hike in September, with a 64% ​chance of the ​Fed leaving rates ⁠unchanged, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

Although gold is typically seen as an inflation hedge, higher interest rates tend to ​diminish bullion's appeal due to its non-yielding characteristic.

On the geopolitical ​front, the ⁠U.S. threatened Iran with what it called "the greatest financial offensive ever marshalled" as it prepared to roll out economic sanctions targeting Iran's trade partners.

Yet, oil prices slipped more than $1 ⁠a barrel ​as investors took profits ahead of an expected ​announcement from Washington.

Spot silver held steady at $68.93 per ounce, platinum gained 0.1% to $1,880.17, and palladium dropped ​0.4% to $1,344.35.

Reporting by Sukanya Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar

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