By Seher Dareen
(Reuters) – Gold prices shot up 1% on Friday as Treasury yields fell after non-farm U.S. payrolls data cemented expectations of a less-hawkish Fed, setting the metal on track for its third straight weekly rise.
Spot gold rose 0.6% to $1,844.60 per ounce by 9.41 a.m. ET (1441 GMT), rising earlier to 1,852.7. Prices have gained about 1.1% so far this week, trading between $1,824.17 – $1,865, having slipped 1.1% on Thursday.
U.S. gold futures were up 0.1% at $1,842.30.
“I think we’re just seeing a little bit of a relief rally because if we would have had a stronger report today, all bets are off on any Fed pivot anytime soon,” said Jim Wyckoff, senior analyst at Kitco Metals.
The nonfarm payrolls rose by 223,000 jobs in December, data from the Labour Department showed, while a 0.3% rise in average earnings was smaller than expected and also lower than the previous month.
Boosting gold, the dollar index steadied, while benchmark Treasury yields were close to their session lows. [USD/][US/]
Fed funds futures traders increased bets the Fed will hike rates by 25 basis points at its Feb. 1 meeting to 67% from 54% before the data.
Higher interest rates dim bullion’s appeal as an inflation hedge and raise the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset.
From a technical perspective, gold has support at around $1,800, Wyckoff added, highlighting that the gold market was “looking very solid,” and could continue to trade sideways to higher in the first quarter, having seen new interest on the long side from hedge funds at the start of the New Year.
Spot silver rose 1.4% to $23.54 per ounce, platinum gained 1.3% to $1,072.38 while palladium jumped 1.2% to $1,765.38, all set for weekly falls.
(Reporting by Seher Dareen in Bengaluru; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.