TSX lower as gold rally takes a breather
Investing.com - Gold prices hovered around the flatline on Thursday as a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel curbed some safe-haven demand, although the yellow metal still remained close to recent record highs.
Bullion remained underpinned by concerns over Japanese fiscal health, the impact of an ongoing U.S. government shutdown, and a political crisis in France.
Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s September meeting flagged some division over the trajectory for interest rates, but bets on further reductions this year remained intact, further supporting gold.
Spot gold gained 0.1% to $4,044.45 an ounce, while gold futures for December fell 0.2% to $4,063.95/oz by 08:00 ET (12:00 GMT).
Gold rally takes a breather amid Gaza ceasefire deal
Gold faced some profit-taking after Israel and Hamas agreed to the initial phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, dulling the precious metal’s appeal as a bastion of relative safety during times of political or economic uncertainty.
Israel and Hamas reached a consensus in indirect talks held in Egypt, just days after the second anniversary of Hamas’ cross-border attack that sparked their latest war. Under a 20-point framework proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, plans for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as well as a path towards eventual Palestinian governance for the region were outlined.
Broader metal prices were sitting on sharp advances in recent weeks amid persistent wagers that the Fed will cut interest rates in October.
Spot platinum added 0.6% to $1,668.55/oz after rallying to its highest level in more than a decade this week, while spot silver rose 1.8% to $49.7455/oz, coming close to record highs above $50/oz.
Silver was particularly supported by HSBC raising its price forecast for the metal and stating that it expects a record high soon.
Markets are pricing in a more than 94% chance for a 25-basis point cut by the Fed in October, CME FedWatch showed. The prospect of lower rates has buoyed metal prices, given that lower yields on debt tend to boost the appeal of non-yielding assets such as metals.
Attention is now turning to an address by Fed Chair Jerome Powell for more cues on the central bank’s plans for rates.
(Ambar Warrick contributed reporting.)