Gold is near a two-month low due to a stronger dollar & the possibility of a rate hike in U.S.A

In Asia on Thursday morning, gold was down, hitting a two-month low. The yellow metal’s demand was harmed by a rising dollar and the prospect of a rate hike in the United States weakened investor confidence in the safe-have asset. Gold futures were up 0.56 percent to $1,878.10 at 12:57 a.m. ET (4:57 a.m. GMT) after falling to its lowest level since February 24 earlier in the day. On Thursday, the dollar, which generally goes in the opposite direction to gold, rose to a five-year high of 103.28. If it continues to rise above 103.82, it will reach levels not seen since late 2002.

Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields also rose, as investors awaited further information on the Fed’s “restrictive” stance to combat inflation. The Bank of Japan held its interest rate at -0.10 percent when it announced its policy decision earlier in the day, and the European Central Bank released its economic bulletin as well. With gold prices failing to rise despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 and rapid inflation, investors are likely to seek elsewhere, according to Lan, who added that China’s lockdowns in reaction to the recent COVID-19 breakouts had hampered demand.
According to the World Gold Council, global demand for gold increased to its highest level in over three years in the first quarter of 2022, driven by investors concerned about the Ukraine conflict and inflationary pressures. In other precious metals, silver fell 0.1 percent, platinum fell 0.4 percent to $914.17, while palladium increased 1.2 percent.