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Gold prices rise, causing gold to fall by a weekly loss

Gold prices dropped more than 1% on Friday, and are expected to drop a similar amount each week as high oil prices continue to fuel inflation fears that could discourage central banks from reducing interest rates.

At 1149 GMT spot gold was down by 1.1%, at $4,573.33 an ounce, and is on course for a loss of 2.8% per week. U.S. Gold Futures for June delivery dropped 1% to $4585.20.

UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said that gold remains negatively correlated with oil in the short-term, because it impacts interest rate expectations.

Iran warned on Thursday that it would respond to any new attacks by the United States with "long and painful" strikes on U.S. bases, while reiterating their claim over the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude prices are now double what they were at the beginning of the year. This has raised concerns about a global slowdown, as well as higher inflation.

U.S. Inflation accelerated in march as the war increased gasoline prices. This reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates at current levels well into next.

Following similar decisions made this week by both the Fed and Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank and Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday.

In a high-interest rate environment, gold, which is traditionally seen as a hedge against geopolitical unrest and inflation, may lose its appeal in favor of yield-bearing investments like U.S. Treasuries.

Staunovo, however, said UBS maintained a positive outlook for the next six to twelve months.

He said that the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming midterm elections in the United States, as well as expectations of a weaker U.S. Dollar over time and falling real interest rates will likely "support" investment demand along with continued central bank demand.

He said that these factors could push prices up to $5,900/oz in late 2026.

Silver spot prices dropped 0.3%, to $73.53 an ounce. Platinum was down 0.5%, at $1,975.65, while palladium fell by 0.1%, to $1,522.18. (Reporting by Anjana Anil in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

(source: Reuters)