Gold ticks up as dollar pauses advance; focus on Fed minutes

Gold prices edged up on Tuesday, after retreating as much as 1% in the last session, as the dollar eased, with the focus turning to minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest meeting for clues on future rate hikes.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1,740.56 per ounce by 0033 GMT. U.S. gold futures inched up 0.1% to $1,741.70.

* Bullion fell for a fourth straight session on Monday as investors preferred the safety of the dollar to hedge against as fresh COVID-19 curbs in China that fuelled worries over the global economic outlook.

* San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly said on Monday the real-world impact of the U.S. central bank’s interest rate hikes is likely greater than what its short-term rate target implies.

* Meanwhile, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said the central bank can downshift to smaller interest rate hike increments from next month as it fine-tunes its policy actions to help bring down high inflation.

* The Fed’s November meeting minutes are due on Wednesday, with most traders betting on a 50-basis point hike in the December meeting..

* High interest rates discourage investing in gold, which does not bear any interest.

* SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 0.2% to 906.06 tonnes on Monday.

* The World Platinum Investment Council said on Tuesday it expected a deficit of the metal used in vehicle exhausts, industry and jewellery in 2023 after a hefty surplus this year.

* Spot silver advanced 0.4% to $20.92 per ounce, platinum also rose 0.3% to $985.30, while palladium added 0.6% to $1,877.14.