Gold extends gains on easing rate hike fears, markets await Fed minutes

Gold extended its gains on Tuesday (Aug 18) as concerns about a potential US interest rate hike in September subsided, with market participants eagerly awaiting the minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting for insights on the monetary policy direction. Spot gold increased by 0.2 percent to $4,424.28 per ounce and US gold futures for December delivery rose 0.2 percent to $4,480.90.

The US dollar remained near multi-month lows against other major currencies, making dollar-priced metals more affordable for holders of other currencies.

Tony Sycamore, an IG market analyst, noted that gold's gains were propelled by last week's soft US economic data, which sparked hopes that the Fed would keep rates steady this year. Bullion often performs well in low-interest-rate environments as it diminishes the opportunity cost of possessing non-yielding assets. The majority of economists in a Reuters poll forecasted that the US central bank would maintain its key interest rate unchanged through September and the end of 2026.

The anticipation of a potential rate hold flipped market pricing for a September quarter-point hike to a near-65 percent chance of a rate hold. Focus moving forward will be on the minutes released from the Fed's most recent policy meeting, set to be published on Wednesday. Sycamore also highlighted that gold is regaining its safe haven status as hawkish rhetoric from Iran contributed to the metal's resilience despite higher yields.

Iran announced plans to adopt a "fully offensive" military posture due to stalled negotiations for a permanent ceasefire agreement with the US. Meanwhile, silver rose 0.9 percent to $66.40 per ounce, platinum increased by 0.2 percent to $1,772.75, and palladium fell 0.3 percent to $1,330.05.