PRECIOUS-Gold atop 6-month peak on softer US dollar, bets on Fed pause

Shafaq News/ Gold prices climbed a six-month peak on Monday, supported by a weaker U.S. dollar and on bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve is done with its interest rate hike cycle, while the focus shifted to U.S. inflation data due later this week.

Spot gold was up 0.4% at $2,009.69 per ounce by 0404 GMT. U.S. gold futures rose 0.3% to $2,009.50.

"What's moving gold at the moment is the lower U.S. dollar because of the recent soft data," said Kyle Rodda, a financial market analyst at Capital.com.

"Economic figures coming out of the U.S. this week, both on the growth and inflation front, will make or break a case for whether gold remains above $2,000."

Gold rose sharply earlier in the session, hitting as high as $2,017.82 an ounce.

However, "it might have been just characteristic of a sort of thinner Asian market,” Rodda added.

The dollar index edged down 0.1% against its rivals, not far from a more than 2-month low level touched last week, making gold less expensive for other currency holders. [USD/]

Market focus now shifts to the revised U.S. third-quarter GDP figures due on Wednesday and the U.S. PCE price index - Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge - on Thursday.

Earlier this month, another inflation print showed weaker-than-expected consumer inflation, boosting hopes that the Fed could begin easing monetary conditions sooner than expected.

Traders widely expect the Fed to leave rates unchanged in December, while pricing in about a 60% chance of a rate cut in May next year, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.

Lower interest rates diminish the opportunity cost of holding non-interest-bearing gold.

Meanwhile, Japan's October services PPI came in at 2.3%, up from a revised 2% in September, adding to the belief that the Bank of Japan will end negative rates in 2024.

Spot silver gained 1.3% to $24.61 per ounce, platinum fell 0.3% to $927.48. Palladium rose 0.1% to $1,069.85 per ounce.