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US inflation data and gold rates are in focus

Investors were watching for key inflation reports this week, as well as expectations of an interest rate reduction in the United States this month.

As of 0101 GMT spot gold was up 0.3%, at $3,635.329 an ounce. It had hit a record-high of $3,673.95 per ounce on Tuesday.

U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery eased by 0.2% to $3673.70.

"Sentiment has been very bullish." Gold prices are being driven by several factors. "The primary factor is U.S. interest rate expectations," Capital.com's financial market analyst Kyle Rodda stated.

The near-term outlook is heavily dependent on these inflation data. If the data is a little spicy, rate cuts may be triggered marginally. This could spark a correction in a market that's technically overbought.

Watch closely the U.S. producer prices inflation data due at 1230 GMT and the consumer price reading on Thursday for further clues about the Federal Reserve's rate path.

The U.S. government reported on Tuesday that the economy probably created 911,000 less jobs than originally estimated in the 12-month period through March. This suggests that the job growth had already slowed before President Donald Trump imposed aggressive import tariffs.

The U.S. Nonfarm Payroll Data released last week indicated a weakening of labor market conditions and sealed the case to cut rates at the Fed’s September Policy Meeting.

According to CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, markets are pricing in a rate cut of 25 basis points, with a probability of a 50-basis point cut at 6%.

Gold prices are up 38% this year after a 27% increase in 2024. This is due to a soft dollar, central bank accumulations, dovish monetary policies and increased global uncertainty.

Gold that does not yield is usually a good investment in an environment with low interest rates.

Silver spot rose by 0.3%, to $41 an ounce. Palladium remained flat at $1148.57 while platinum gained 0.9%. (Reporting and editing by Sherry Jac-Phillips in Bengaluru, Eileen Soreng and Brijesh Patel from Bengaluru)

(source: Reuters)