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Gold is expected to fall for the first time in three weeks as rates and the currency rise

Gold is expected to fall for the first time in three weeks as rates and the currency rise

Gold prices remained flat on Friday, weighed down by the dollar’s resilience and the increase of US Treasury yields, putting bullion on track for its first weekly loss in three weeks. As of 0501 GMT, spot gold was unchanged at $1,952.17 per ounce. Gold futures in the United States were up 0.3 percent at $1,953.90.

“The outlook for gold remains restrained as rising rates certainly weigh, but we really don’t have much of a direction for gold until we break the trading range (between $1,930 and under $2,000) in a convincing fashion,” said Michael McCarthy, chief strategy officer at Tiger Brokers in Australia.

Benchmark Federal Reserve officials maintained a hawkish tone on tightening policy, supporting the idea that the US central bank will boost interest rates quickly to combat surging inflation. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields continued their rise. Gold is extremely sensitive to rising short-term interest rates in the United States, as well as higher returns, which raise the opportunity cost of keeping non-yielding bullion.

A rising dollar could put downward pressure on gold, but geopolitical uncertainty remains a support, and the gold price is locked in the middle of those two opposing currents, according to McCarthy. A stronger currency makes gold priced in US dollars less appealing to foreign buyers. This week, gold is down roughly 1.2 percent. On Monday, prices climbed to near $2,000 per ounce on safe-haven demand and growing inflation concerns, but have since fallen to a two-week low in the previous session.

In a note, Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said, “With stagflation shifting from a hypothetical tail risk to reality, investors globally are looking to gold as a keen portfolio diversifier. “Spot silver lost 0.4 percent to $24.54 per ounce, while platinum rose 0.1 percent to $968.79, indicating that both metals are set to lose ground this week. Palladium prices increased by 0.4 percent to $2,430.95.