Gold Hovers Over Two Month Low Awaiting Yellen

Gold rose in New York, rebounding from a two-month low, as investors awaited speeches by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi today at a meeting of central bankers.

Bullion declined 1.9 percent this week as the dollar climbed to an 11-month high against the euro on signs that the U.S. is recovering while Europe’s economy falters. Data this month showed U.S. home sales rose and manufacturing accelerated while euro-area growth stalled in the second quarter.

“Relative calm has been restored to the gold market ahead of the much anticipated Fed symposium later today,” UBS AG analyst Edel Tully said in a report. “The return of physical demand likely helped gold find its floor yesterday.”

Gold for December delivery rose 0.5 percent to $1,281.60 an ounce by 7:30 a.m. on the Comex in New York on volumes that were 37 percent lower than the 100-day average for this time of day, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

The metal yesterday dropped to $1,273.40, the lowest level since June 18, as minutes of the Fed’s last meeting signaled that policy makers may raise interest rates earlier than expected. Gold for immediate delivery rose 0.3 percent to $1,280.63 an ounce in London, according to Bloomberg generic pricing.

CME Group Inc. reduced the margin requirements on Comex gold trading, cutting the minimum cash deposit for speculators 15 percent to $5,060 per 100-ounce contract at the close today.

Speculation that the U.S. central bank would cut stimulus as the economy recovered fueled a 28 percent drop in gold prices last year. Yellen and Draghi are scheduled to speak today at the Kansas City Fed’s symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

via Bloomberg

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.

Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza