Gold prices edged higher on Friday but traded below a two-week peak hit in the previous session on bets of more aggressive interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve following a sharp jump in US consumer prices.
Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,831.78 per ounce by 1313 GMT, poised for a weekly gain of about 1.3%. US gold futures fell 0.3% to $1,831.90.
"Stronger-than-expected inflation is raising the risk of faster rate hikes," said Soni Kumari, a commodities strategist at ANZ, adding that the gold market is reacting to this and a stronger dollar.
Pressure increased on the Fed to take a stronger stand against inflation after an unexpectedly large jump in US consumer prices bolstered the view that the central bank is behind the curve.
Expectations for a firm Fed response next month lifted the dollar and sparked a dip in global equities, and drove benchmark 10-year US Treasury yields higher on Thursday, but they have since taken a step back.
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Higher yields and interest rate hikes dent the appeal of bullion by raising the opportunity cost of holding non-interest-paying gold, while a higher dollar makes it less attractive for overseas buyers.
"From a technical point of view, bullion is still trying to surpass the $1,835 threshold, while the first major support zone is represented by the $1,800 mark," said Carlo Alberto De Casa, market analyst at Kinesis.
"Investors are still trusting gold," he said in a note, and that "gold is also representing a hedge in case central banks would not be able to contain inflation."
Spot silver fell 0.6% to $23.04 per ounce, but remains poised for a weekly gain of about 2.4%.
Platinum was up 0.8% at $1,034.28, while palladium fell 0.1% at $2,253.68.
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