Gold steadies but heading for second straight weekly loss

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
Gold steadies but heading for second straight weekly loss teaser image

June 12 (Reuters) - Gold steadied ​on Friday as oil fell on rising hopes for a peace deal ‌between Iran and the United States, but prices remained on track for a second straight weekly decline due to expectations of higher interest rates.

Spot gold was little changed at $4,207.30 per ounce as of ​1106 GMT, but was down more than 2% for the week.

U.S. gold ​futures rose 2.8% to $4,227.40.

"Gold prices are moving in line with statements from ⁠the U.S. President, but the overriding influence remains inflation, with markets expecting rate ​hikes from the ECB and also anticipating that the Fed will follow," said Quantitative Commodity ​Research analyst Peter Fertig.

"Gold's price move will depend on how steep the increase in inflation rate is. If we see a further acceleration in the coming months, the $4,000 handle could be broken to ​the downside."

U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran could be signed as ​soon as this weekend, even as Tehran said it had not made a final decision on a ‌pact. ⁠Oil prices extended losses from the previous session on the news.

Gold has been under strain since the Iran conflict began, with worries that surging energy costs may drive inflation higher, reinforcing expectations that central banks will keep interest rates elevated, thereby increasing the ​opportunity cost of ​holding non-yielding bullion.

ANZ lowered ⁠its year-end price target for gold by $400 to $5,200 to reflect recent price volatility.

Data this week showed that U.S. producer prices increased ​more than expected in May, while consumer inflation jumped above 4% ​in May ⁠for the first time in three years.

Focus is also on the Federal Reserve's policy-setting committee that meets on June 16-17. It is the first policy meeting led by new Fed ⁠Chair Kevin ​Warsh.

Among other metals, spot silver fell 0.7% to $66.90 per ​ounce and platinum lost 0.3% at $1,715.05, with both metals headed for a weekly loss.

Palladium <XPD=> rose 2.6% to $1,302.55, and was headed ​for a weekly gain.

Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Jonathan Ananda

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.