Gold hits 2-week high as dollar, yields, oil fall after US midterms

Kitco Media
By Reuters
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Reuters
Gold hits 2-week high as dollar, yields, oil fall after US midterms teaser image

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Gold prices extended their post-US midterm election rally to ‌a more than two-week high on Thursday, as the US dollar and Treasury yields weakened, while oil held below $100 a barrel and eased some inflation concerns.

Spot gold gained 1.4% to $4,117.69 per ounce by 1316 ​GMT after hitting a session high of $4,146.63 per ounce, a level last seen ​on October 20.

Gold jumped nearly 3.4% on Wednesday, its sharpest daily rise since ⁠August 19, with prices up over $250 this week from a one-year low of $3,869.85 hit ​on Friday.

US gold futures for December delivery rose 1.3% to $4,127.40 per ounce.

"Precious metals have emerged ​as major winners following the US elections," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.

"The powerful combination of falling energy prices, easing inflation and interest rate concerns, and declining Treasury yields and the ​dollar has forced recently established speculative shorts to cover."

Brent crude rose on Thursday but was below $100 ​a barrel after diving nearly 9% on Wednesday on hopes that major Democratic gains in the elections ‌could reduce ⁠the risk of further escalation in the Iran war. The US dollar and Treasury yields were at multi-week lows.

Lower energy prices help ease inflation concerns and reduce expectations of higher-for-longer interest rates, while a weaker dollar makes dollar-denominated gold less expensive for buyers holding other ​currencies, supporting demand ​for the precious metal.

Traders ⁠currently see an 81% chance that the Federal Reserve will raise rates in December, according to CME's FedWatch tool, opens new tab.

Investors are also awaiting US ​non-farm payrolls report due on Friday for further cues on the ​central bank's ⁠trajectory.

Meanwhile, the Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates for the first time in three years on Thursday, taking a path already embarked on by all its main peers.

Among ⁠other metals, ​spot silver rose 0.7% to $52.56 per ounce, platinum gained ​1.3% to $1,516.14, and palladium climbed 3% to $1,034.62.

Reporting by Sherin Sans in Bengaluru; ​additional reporting by Swati Verma and Sukanya Mitra; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair and Louise Heavens

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