Gold takes breather after record run as investors brace for Fed minutes

Gold took a breather on Wednesday after hitting an all-time high in the previous session on U.S. rate-cut optimism, as investors awaited minutes of the Federal Reserve‘s latest meeting and Chair Jerome Powell speech for clarity on the depth of cuts.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold was flat at $2,514.79 per ounce, as of 0105 GMT, trading below an all-time high of $2,531.60 scaled on Tuesday.

* U.S. gold futures were also flat at $2,553.

* Geopolitical tensions and uncertainty created by the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections and prospective interest rate cuts appear set to help power gold prices to even loftier levels.

* Traders have fully priced in easing by the Fed at the September meeting, with a 68% chance of a 25 bps cut, according to CME FedWatch tool. Gold, a non-yielding asset, tends to thrive in a low interest rate environment.

* The U.S. dollar hit a seven-month low, while benchmark 10-year Treasury yields also sank, making non-yielding bullion less expensive for holders of other currencies.
* The market now awaits minutes of the Fed’s July policy meeting due later in the day, and Powell’s speech on the U.S. economic outlook this Friday at the Jackson Hole symposium.
* Elsewhere, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed the Middle East on Tuesday with an agreement between Israel and Hamas still elusive.

* SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.20% on Tuesday.

* Swiss July gold exports rose to the highest since April as higher supplies to India and Britain offset reduced shipments to China, customs data from the world’s biggest bullion refining and transit hub showed.

* Spot silver edged 0.1% higher to $29.45 per ounce, platinum gained 0.5% to $950.80 and palladium added 0.2% at $927.65.