Gold edges higher as Fed hike bets fade, US inflation data in focus

Gold prices experienced a slight uptick on Monday after touching a seven-week high the previous day, as weak US jobs data diminished expectations for Federal Reserve rate hikes and investors turned their attention to upcoming inflation data. The spot price of gold climbed 0.1% to $4,345.09 per ounce as of 08:56 GMT. On Friday, gold prices peaked since June 17 following poor US nonfarm payrolls data.

Ricardo Evangelista, a senior analyst at ActivTrades, noted that gold prices continued to capitalize on the positive momentum from last week, following the disappointing US jobs report and the consequent reduction in expectations of additional Fed rate increases. The possibility of a rate hike in September now stands at 44%, down from 57% prior to the jobs report, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

Investors are now eagerly awaiting the release of US consumer price data on Wednesday and producer price data on Thursday, as these figures may provide further insights into the Fed's interest-rate outlook. Economists surveyed by Reuters anticipate that the July consumer price index will have increased by 3.4% year-over-year, a figure that falls short of the June 3.5% rate.

If the actual figure falls below the consensus estimate of 3.4%, it could further dampen expectations of a Fed rate increase before the end of the year, potentially benefiting gold.

In other markets, silver rose 0.9% to $64.14 per ounce, while platinum slipped 0.4% to $1,737.42, and palladium declined 1.2% to $1,360.75.