Gold firms on dollar pullback, but hinges on rate-hike fears

Sept 27 (Reuters) – Gold prices rose on Tuesday as the dollar slipped, although the metal languished near a 2-1/2-year low as prospects of further aggressive rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve kept some investors on the sidelines.

Spot gold was up 0.6% at USD 1,631.39 per ounce, as of 0512 GMT, after hitting its lowest since April 2020 at USD 1,620.20 on Monday. US gold futures edged 0.3% higher to USD 1,638.70.

The dollar index dipped 0.1%, easing off a two-decade peak scaled in the previous session. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield was also slightly off a 12-year peak marked on Monday.

Slightly lower US yields and dollar may have provided some room for gold prices to stabilise after its recent sell-off, said IG market strategist Yeap Jun Rong.

“The prevailing upside risk to inflation and, hence, monetary policy tightening, still remains a key obstacle limiting gold’s upside,” he said.

Fed officials on Monday sloughed off rising volatility in global markets and said their priority remained controlling inflation.

Gold prices have declined more than 20% since rising above the key USD 2,000 level in March, as rapid US rate hikes made the non-yielding bullion less attractive and also pushed the dollar to multi-year highs.

“Its (gold’s) status as a haven asset in times of economic distress has failed to stem the flow of selling,” analysts at ANZ said in a note.

Indicative of investor sentiment, holdings of SPDR Gold Trust GLD, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell to 30,333,443 ounces on Monday, its lowest since March 2020.

Spot gold may bounce further to USD 1,639 per ounce, as a wave 3 may have completed around a support of USD 1,619, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.

Spot silver rose 1% to USD 18.51 per ounce, platinum climbed 0.2% to USD 853.89 and palladium was up 0.2% at USD 2,049.10.

(Reporting by Eileen Soreng in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich, Subhranshu Sahu and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)