Gold slips as more Fed rate hikes loom

Aug 30 (Reuters) – Gold prices fell on Tuesday as investors positioned for a period of high interest rates in the United States and elsewhere.

Spot gold fell 0.8% to USD 1,723.65 per ounce by 1:46 p.m. ET (1746 GMT) after hitting a one-month low of USD 1,719.56 on Monday. US gold futures settled down 0.8% at %1,736.3.

“There is continued pressure on gold from (Federal Reserve Chair) Powell’s last week comments that raised expectation of a more aggressive Fed. Gold being a non-interest bearing asset will have more competition,” said David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures.

At last week’s Jackson Hole meet in Wyoming, the Fed and the European Central Bank struck a hawkish tone, pledging all efforts to tame high inflation even if economic growth takes a hit.

Most traders now expect a 75-basis-points hike in September.

However, gold will eventually diverge and see some safe-haven flows at some point if the economy begins to slow, Meger added.

The dollar index was steady, having risen to 0.3% earlier. A stronger dollar makes bullion expensive for overseas buyers.

“A move back above USD 1,765 could get gold bulls excited once more but that may be easier said than done if trading over the last few sessions is anything to go by,” Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA, said in a note.

Spot silver fell 1.9% to USD 18.39 per ounce and platinum also dropped 1.9% to USD 847.50.

Palladium declined 2.9% to USD 2,084.69.

“Industrial precious metals are vulnerable … The recent rally in platinum group metals was running out of steam, which suggested platinum and silver were most vulnerable to additional price declines,” TD Securities wrote in a note.

(Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)