Gold extends gains trading near a two-week high early Wednesday, after a U.S. inflation print showed that consumer prices rose in line with economists’ expectations. The yellow metal also getting support from haven demand driven by geopolitical risk.
The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) reports that core CPI rose 0.3% on a month-on-month basis and 3.3% annually. This was in line with the Dow Jones consensus estimates. Spot gold tipped up on the news, 0.2% higher to $2,698.39 per ounce.
Next up, the producer price index will be released on Thursday. The PPI is a key indicator ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting next week. The Fed has said it closely watches both inflation and labor market data when setting monetary policy. The Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates for the third time this year next week. That would be considered bullish for gold.
Gold was also elevated on Chinese purchases of the yellow metal and concerns about heightened tensions in the Middle East following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the weekend on top of the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
Front-month gold futures gained 1.2% Tuesday to settle at $2,718.40 an ounce on Comex, and the most-active February contract rallied 2.2% in the first two days of the week. Bullion dropped 2.5% last month after rising 3.4% in October and gaining 5.2% in September. The metal is up 31% in 2024. The February contract is currently up $16.30 (+0.60%) an ounce to $2734.70 and the DG spot price is $2708.40.
About 86.1% of the investors tracked by the CME FedWatch Tool are now betting that the Fed will cut rates by another 25 basis points Dec. 18, ending the year at 4.25% to 4.50%. The rest expect the central bank to keep rates unchanged this month.
Last week’s jobs data supports additional Fed interest rate cuts next week and into 2025. Rate reductions would be considered bullish for gold, but a pause or delay would be bearish, making the yellow metal a less attractive asset for investors.
Fed policymakers voted unanimously at November’s meeting to cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 4.50% to 4.75%. The central bank also cut rates in September. Before those reductions, the Fed had kept rates at 5.25% to 5.50% for a year after raising them by 5.25 percentage points since March 2022. The Fed began raising rates during the pandemic to combat surging inflation.
Front-month silver futures rose 0.4% Tuesday to $32.75 an ounce on Comex, and the most-active March contract increased 3.7% in the first two days of the week. Silver fell 5.2% in November after advancing 4.3% in October and rallying 7.9% in September. It’s up 36% in 2024. The March contract is currently down $0.082 (-0.25%) an ounce to $32.665 and the DG spot price is $31.96.
Spot palladium slid 1.2% Tuesday to $985.00 an ounce, though it’s up 1.4% so far this week Palladium decreased 12% last month after increasing 11% in October and gaining 3.2% in September. Palladium is down 12% this year. Currently, the DG spot price is down $1.10 an ounce to $980.50.
Spot platinum lost 0.1% Tuesday to $949.60 an ounce, though it gained 1.7% in the first two days of the week. Platinum declined 4.2% in November after rising 1.5% in October and increasing 5.6% in September. Platinum is down 4.8% this year. The DG spot price is currently down $1.90 an ounce to $945.20.
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