• Gold prices held onto earlier losses on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar trimmed gains after the Federal Reserve raised U.S. interest rates as expected and forecast three more years of economic growth.
• The U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday and left intact its plans to steadily tighten monetary policy, as it forecast that the U.S. economy would enjoy at least three more years of growth.
In a statement that marked the end of the era of “accommodative” monetary policy, Fed policymakers lifted the benchmark overnight lending rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a range of 2.00 percent to 2.25 percent.
The U.S. central bank still foresees another rate hike in December, three more next year, and one increase in 2020.
That would put the benchmark overnight lending rate at 3.4 percent, roughly half a percentage point above the Fed’s estimated “neutral” rate of interest, at which rates neither stimulate nor restrict the economy.
• Spot gold lost 0.3 percent at $1,197.21 per ounce by 2:16 p.m. EDT (1816 GMT), while the greenback gave up earlier gains, though remained positive against a basket of major currencies.
U.S. gold futures for December delivery settled down $6, or 0.5 percent, at $1,199.10 per ounce.
• “The ‘accommodative’ part signals a hawkish policy,” said Bob Haberkorn, senior market strategist at RJO Futures. “Gold is trying to make a move with the dollar making it lower, but it’s hard for it to rally when there’s risk-on in the equity markets.”
• Global equities remained strong and U.S. stocks extended gains after the rate hike.
• Gold has fallen more than 12 percent from an April high as a vibrant U.S. economy, expectations of higher U.S. interest rates and fears of a global trade war have caused the dollar to rally.
• Investors looking for a safe place to park assets have preferred the U.S. currency to bullion, undermining gold’s traditional role as a safe haven, while speculators have ramped up bets that gold prices will fall.
• Commerzbank analysts said gold was stuck beneath technical resistance at its 55-day moving average around $1,208 and its 4-month downtrend at $1,220.
• Meanwhile, silver dropped 0.1 percent at $14.41 an ounce after touching a three-week high on Tuesday.
Platinum gained 0.7 percent at $828.60 an ounce and palladium increased 0.7 percent at $1,068.70 an ounce, earlier hitting a new 8-month high of $1,070.00.
Reference: Reuters
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