A gold bar is wrapped in a financial newspaper.
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Gold prices rose on Friday as the dollar continued to weaken, notching a second straight weekly rise for bullion amid cooling bets for a more aggressive Federal Reserve monetary policy.
Spot gold was up 0.2% at $1,853.39 per ounce. U.S. gold futures were up 0.2% at $1,851. For the week, gold closed up 0.5%.
Gold this week has been supported by a moderation somewhat in market expectations from the Fed’s monetary policy for next year, and most importantly the weaker U.S. dollar, said Ilya Spivak, a currency strategist at DailyFX.
There is price support at $1,830 on the downside and on the topside the next key level is around $1,885, Spivak added.
Minutes of the Fed’s May 3-4 policy meeting released on Wednesday highlighted, as the market expected, that most participants favoring additional 50 basis point rate hikes at the June and July meetings.
Higher short-term U.S. interest rates and bond yields raise the opportunity cost of holding bullion, which yields nothing.
The dollar index fell en route a second straight weekly decline, making bullion less expensive for buyers holding other currencies.
“We need a clearer signal that hard economic data is turning sour for the Fed to even think about a pause (in tightening)… hence gold investors are still reluctant to push the envelope significantly higher,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.
“If the Fed signals a pause, then gold will move much higher, but until they do so, we could be range trading for a bit.”
