Gold slips as dollar rebounds and Fed rate hike looms

Bengaluru — Gold prices edged lower on Wednesday as the US dollar regained some ground, while traders assessed chances of the US Federal Reserve raising interest rates just once more in May before pausing.

Spot gold was down 0.1% at $2,003.03 per ounce at 3.37am GMT. US gold futures fell 0.2% to $2,016.20.

The dollar index was up 0.1%, making gold expensive for buyers holding other currencies.

“Expectations are already priced for a 25-basis-point [bps] hike, leaving much of the focus to be on whether a rate pause will be signalled thereafter,” said Yeap Jun Rong, a market analyst at IG.

“While that may provide an anchor for gold prices, given the recent rally and overextended technical conditions, the possibility of some unwinding (in prices) upon validation of the Fed’s rate outlook may still remain on the table.”

The CME FedWatch tool shows that markets predict an 83.2% chance of a 25bps hike in May, with potential rate cuts being priced in later in the year.

Gold is considered a hedge against inflation, but higher interest rates dim the non-yielding asset’s appeal.

The Fed should continue raising interest rates on the back of recent data showing inflation remains persistent, while the broader economy seems poised to continue growing, even if slowly, St Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Tuesday.

But Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said one more hike from the US central bank “should be enough” before taking a step back to “see how our policy is flowing through the economy”.

Investors are now trying to gauge whether the rate hike in May will be the last before the Fed pauses, and are focusing on more comments from Fed officials this week before they enter a blackout period from April 22 ahead of the May meeting.

In other precious metals, spot silver fell 0.2% to $25.16 per ounce, platinum dipped 0.6 to $1,075.58 and palladium gained 1% to $1,624.72.

Reuters