Gold drifts near record high amid Fed rate-cut optimism, geopolitical woes
Aug 27 (Reuters) -Gold prices held steady on Tuesday, lingering near record highs, as safe-haven demand from rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and increasing bets on a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September provided support.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= was flat at $2,515.83 per ounce by 0027 GMT. Bullion hit a record high of $2,531.60 on Aug. 20.
* U.S. gold futures GCcv1 fell 0.2% to $2,551.20.
* Israel issued new evacuation orders for Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip late on Sunday, forcing more families to flee, saying forces intended to act against militant group Hamas and others operating in the area.
* Gold is historically reputed for its stability as a favoured hedge against geopolitical and economic risks.
* Meanwhile, San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly on Monday said "the time is upon us" to cut interest rates, likely starting with a quarter-percentage point reduction in borrowing costs.
* Traders have fully priced in a Fed easing for next month, with a 70% chance of a 25-basis-point cut and about 30% chance of a bigger 50-bp reduction, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
* A low interest rate environment tends to boost non-yielding bullion's appeal.
* Data from the Commerce Department on Monday showed that new orders for key U.S. capital goods unexpectedly fell in July, with June's figures revised lower, indicating a slowdown in business equipment spending into the third quarter.
* Gold demand in top consumers India and China is expected to improve in the next few months, industry officials said.
* Spot silver XAG= edged 0.2% lower to $29.85 per ounce, platinum XPT= fell 0.3% to $959.24 and palladium XPD= was flat at $958.50.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0600 Germany GDP Detailed QQ SA Q2
0600 Germany GDP Detailed YY NSA Q2
1400 US Consumer Confidence August
Reporting by Daksh Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.