Nov 20 (Reuters) – Gold prices edged higher on Monday as the dollar extended its slide after recent U.S. economic data boosted bets that the Federal Reserve was done with its rate hike campaign.
Spot gold rose 0.1% to $1,981.80 per ounce as of 0537 GMT, after rising 2.2% last week. U.S. gold futures were steady at $1,984.20.
“We’ve seen a pretty significant narrative shift over the last week or so in the markets on the Fed policy and when the Fed will cut interest rates first and how aggressively it will be cutting rates,” said Kyle Rodda, a financial market analyst at Capital.com.
“On the flip side, still seeing a fairly significant divergence in terms of where gold is trading at the moment with real yields… we’re going to need much weaker data from here to really kind of catalyze that move above $2,000 per ounce.”
Data pointing to a slowing jobs market in the U.S. and a weaker-than-expected consumer inflation report last week reignited hopes that the Fed could begin easing monetary conditions sooner than expected.
Lower rates exert downward pressure on the dollar and bond yields, enhancing the appeal of non-yielding bullion.
The dollar slipped 0.2% to a more than a 2-1/2 month low against its rivals, making gold less expensive for other currency holders.
Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust , the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, rose 1.49% to 883.43 tonnes on Friday.
Investors now look forward to minutes from the U.S. central bank’s last meeting later this week for more clarity on its interest rate path.
Spot gold looks neutral in a range of $1,976-$1,990 per ounce and an escape could suggest a direction, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.
Spot silver was flat at $23.73 per ounce, while platinum rose 0.5% to $903.02 and palladium gained 0.3% to $1,056.33 per ounce.
