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Gold, oil come off boil as Middle East risks, US rates in focus

Gold prices were simply shy of a record peak and oil rates levelled off on Tuesday after a. rise over the previous week, as financiers sought safety amid. geopolitical risks and expected Nvidia profits and U.S. inflation information later on today.

European stocks edged up in early trading, following a late. rally in Japan's Nikkei index. International stock indices were little. altered in general, with forecast-beating make money from the world's. biggest listed miner BHP helping to prop up sentiment.

Gold hovered above the $2,500 per-ounce level on. expectations of imminent U.S. rate cuts and lingering concerns. about the Middle East conflict, intensified by a significant missile. exchange between Israel and Hezbollah on Sunday.

Middle East tensions - together with concerns about a capacity. shutdown of Libyan oil fields - had caused a surge in oil prices. of more than 7% over the previous 3 sessions. However, that. rally slowed on Tuesday, with a minor dip in rates.

Expectations for faster interest rate cuts in the United. States have actually been a key motorist of market relocations, after Federal. Reserve chair Jerome Powell stated on Friday the central bank was. ready to start cutting rate of interest.

It would be a genuine shock not to get a (Fed) rate cut in. September, stated Guy Miller, chief market strategist at Zurich. Insurance coverage Group, including an initial 25 basis point cut was most. likely.

It was also interesting that he didn't actually press against. the marketplace expectations of 100 plus basis points of rate cuts. in between now and year-end, Miller added.

The dollar index was just off an one-year low at 100.82. , showing bets on faster rate cuts, while the euro and. pound pushed towards multi-month highs versus the greenback.

A key measure of U.S. inflation due on Friday could further. impact market perceptions of how quickly the Fed will act.

Investors were also on edge ahead of Nvidia's. earnings report on Wednesday, where anything except a stellar. projection from the chipmaker could jolt investor self-confidence in. the AI-fuelled rally.

I believe Nvidia will take more importance than the. [inflation information], said Michaël Nizard, head of multi-asset at. investor Edmond de Rothschild.

We know that the pace of inflation is going well. We don't. understand what might be the guidance for this huge, huge actor in. artificial intelligence. This could be a bump for the marketplace.

MSCI's all-country index of stocks < was. broadly > the same on the day at 830.17.

Likewise keeping belief in check was the relocation by Canada,. following the lead of the United States and European Union, to. impose a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese electrical cars and. a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminium from China.

Oil prices relaxed, with Brent crude futures. 0.3% lower at $81.15 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures. reduced 0.5% to $77.01 a barrel.

(source: Reuters)