Gold prices climb as dollar weakens after U.S. inflation data, ahead of Brexit vote

MarketWatch
Gold prices gained on Tuesday, looking to recoup most of the previous session’s losses, with the dollar weakening in the wake of monthly U.S. inflation data, as investors await a vote by U.K. lawmakers on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan.

Gold for April delivery GCJ9, +0.60% rose $6.30, or 0.5%, to $1,297.40 an ounce after losing 0.6% Monday. May SIK9, +0.99% was 12.6 cents, or 0.8%, higher at $15.40 an ounce.

Prime Minister May won last-minute concessions from the European Union over the Brexit divorce deal late Monday in a bid to win support for her plan in a parliamentary vote later Tuesday. May is still seen facing an uphill battle to win approval for the deal.

The British pound GBPUSD, -0.6312% has seen volatile trade ahead of the vote, while the ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.20% a measure of the U.S. currency against six major rivals, was down 0.2%.

See: Here’s what’s next for Brexit and the British pound

The dollar fell more steeply shortly after data revealed that the U.S. consumer-price index climbed 0.2% in February, matching market expectations, while the cost of living over the past year slowed again to 1.5% from 1.6%.

A core reading of inflation, stripping out volatile food and energy prices, edged 0.1% higher, representing the smallest rise since August. The yearly increase in the so-called core rate also slowed a tick to 2.1%. Gold tends to be viewed as a hedge against inflation, with readings of muted inflation providing little ammunition for gold bugs.

But given the data, “the Fed would appear to be justified in supporting the real economy by being patient and leaving interest rates on hold for a potentially extended period,” Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, wrote in note.

That softer tone to the dollar helped buoy gold, analysts said. A cheaper buck can be a positive for commodities priced in the greenback by making them less expensive to users of other currencies.

The aftermath of the Brexit vote could set the tone for gold. A victory for May could boost overall appetite for risky assets, which would likely put renewed pressure on gold, said Eugen Weinberg, head of commodity research at Commerzbank, in a note.

In other metals trade, April platinum PLJ9, +2.02% was up $16.50, or 2%, to $833.30 an ounce, while June palladium PAM9, +0.95% was up $18.70, or 1.3%, to $1,500.70 an ounce. High-grade copper for May HGK9, +0.98% added 4.3 cents to $2.944 a pound, up 1.5%.

MarketWatch

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.

Ed Moya

Ed Moya

Contributing Author at OANDA
With more than 20 years’ trading experience, Ed Moya was a Senior Market Analyst with OANDA for the Americas from November 2018 to November 2023. His particular expertise lies across a wide range of asset classes including FX, commodities, fixed income, stocks and cryptocurrencies. Over the course of his career, Ed has worked with some of the leading forex brokerages, research teams and news departments on Wall Street including Global Forex Trading, FX Solutions and Trading Advantage. Prior to OANDA he worked with TradeTheNews.com, where he provided market analysis on economic data and corporate news. Based in New York, Ed is a regular guest on several major financial television networks including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, Yahoo! Finance Live, Fox Business, cheddar news, and CoinDesk TV. His views are trusted by the world’s most respected global newswires including Reuters, Bloomberg and the Associated Press, and he is regularly quoted in leading publications such as MSN, MarketWatch, Forbes, Seeking Alpha, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Ed holds a BA in Economics from Rutgers University.