Gold edged lower on Tuesday as anxieties about further interest rate rises by the Federal Reserve in the face of high inflation set prices up for a third consecutive decline.
Price action
-
Gold for December delivery
GCZ22,
-0.10%
fell $2.60, or 0.2%, to trade at $1,672.60 per ounce on Comex after touching a low at $1,667.50. Prices held ground at their lowest intraday levels since Oct. 3, FactSet data show, though haven’t settled at levels this low since Sept. 30. -
December silver
SIZ22,
-1.48%
shed 30.5 cents, or 1.6%, to $19.31 per ounce after finishing at its lowest level since since Sept. 30 on Monday. -
December palladium futures
PAZ22,
-1.22%
fell by $13.40, or 0.6%, to $2,154.50 per ounce, while January platinum
PLF23,
-0.89%
lost $6.10, or 0.7%, to $889.70 per ounce. -
December copper futures
HGZ22,
-0.38%
shed nearly a penny, or 0.2%, to $3.4225 per pound.
What’s happening
“Where gold concludes this week will most likely be influenced by the U.S. inflation data on Thursday,” said Lukman Otunuga, manager, market analysis at FXTM, in market commentary.
“A red-hot CPI report will almost certainly reinforce aggressive rate hike bets, ultimately boosting the dollar and Treasury yields — at gold’s peril,” he said. “Such a development may drag the precious metal towards $1,655, $1,615, and $1,600.”
However, “an inflation report that misses expectations could offer space for gold bulls to fight back, opening a path back toward the psychological $1,700 level,” said Otunuga.
Both gold and silver were on track to log a third straight decline on Tuesday.
Craig Erlam, a senior market strategist at OANDA, said he wasn’t surprised to see the rally fizzle over the past week.
But now that their latest advance has “well and truly wilted,” Erlam wonders how much lower the precious metal will go in the near term as markets brace for the U.S. inflation data and the next Federal Reserve interest-rate hike in November.
“Key levels (in gold) below include $1,640 and $1,620, with $1,600 then the one to watch. If it does manage a recovery, then $1,685-1,690 looks interesting as it’s a level it has repeatedly rotated around in recent months,” Erlam said.
The next Federal Reserve policy meeting on November 2-3.
