Gold hits 1-week low on dollar bounce, mixed signals from Fed officials

GOLD prices slipped to a one-week low on Monday, weighed down by a bounce in the dollar and mixed signals from the US Federal Reserve on monetary policy tightening despite tame inflation data.

Spot gold was down 0.2% to $1,777.03 per ounce by 0249 GMT, after hitting its lowest since June 21 at $1,770.36 earlier in the session. US gold futures shed 0.2% to $1,774.80.

“The jury’s still out (on the Fed’s timeline on tapering),” said IG Market Analyst Kyle Rodda.

“On one hand, we’ve to think about normalizing policy, but on the other, a lot of Fed speakers are suggesting inflation will be transitory, so we don’t need the Fed to slam on the brakes. And, that is kind of sending mixed signals.”

Gold prices rose as much as 0.8% on Friday after data showed the US personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, came in below expectations.

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said he expected recent high inflation readings would not last.

The United States cannot afford a “boom and bust cycle” in the housing market that would threaten financial stability, Boston Federal Reserve Bank President Eric Rosengren told the Financial Times in an interview published on Monday.

“It’s very important for us to get back to our 2% inflation target but the goal is for that to be sustainable,” Rosengren told the newspaper. “And for that to be sustainable, we can’t have a boom and bust cycle in something like real estate.”

The dollar rebounded from Friday’s lows, making gold expensive for holders of other currencies. The market is trading in a range and until gold breaks above $1,800 or below $1,760, it’s just looking like a sideways trend in the short term, Rodda said.

Investors were also keeping a close watch on the negotiations over an US infrastructure deal.

Silver was steady at $26.07 per ounce, palladium rose 0.1% to $2,640.31. Platinum eased 0.7% to $1,103.40.