Gold hits three-month high as investors await US inflation data

Gold prices surged to a three-month high on Monday, as investors eagerly anticipated US inflation data and a key Federal Reserve speech. The precious metal's value rose 0.7% to $4,636.34 per ounce, marking its highest level since May 15. US gold futures followed the trend, gaining 0.3% to $4,694.80. The previous week, gold prices had climbed over 5% following a US Treasury Department support plan that included bond buybacks, which weakened the dollar.

This made gold more affordable for foreign investors. Analysts are closely watching the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index for July and Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's speech at the Jackson Hole symposium for insights into US interest rate expectations. Goldman Sachs forecasted that gold prices could reach $4,900 per ounce, citing rising demand for bullish gold options.

Poland's central bank reported that its gold reserves increased to 20.6 million troy ounces by the end of July, up from 20.3 million ounces at the end of June. Geopolitically, Iran's foreign minister dismissed the prospect of new US sanctions, stating that they would not succeed in undermining Tehran, further bolstering gold's status as a safe haven asset.

Meanwhile, trade tensions between Canada and the US saw the latter imposing tariffs on certain Canadian goods in response to the latter's 50% tariffs on Canadian products, following the failure of trade talks between the two nations. Other precious metals also showed gains, with spot silver up 0.8% to $69.51 per ounce, platinum up 0.4% to $1,885.38, and palladium up 0.1% to $1,350.53 per ounce.