Gold prices surged on Wednesday, January 31, from one-week lows hit in the previous session, as the dollar fell against a basket of major currencies and traders awaited the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting.
Spot gold had soared 0.4 percent to $1,343.51 per ounce by 0738 GMT. In the previous session, it touched its
lowest since Jan. 23 at $1,334.10 an ounce.
U.S. gold futures for February delivery rose 0.4 percent to $1,339.80 per ounce.
Gold prices were on track for a third consecutive monthly gain and are up 3.1 percent so far in January, their best month since August, largely due to weakness in the dollar.
“Yellen may deliver a hawkish surprise setting the stage for a possible policy pivot while trumpeting in the Powell era.
Gold bears may take advantage of this move,” said Stephen Innes, APAC trading head for OANDA.
A rate hike in March would not come as a surprise, but anychange in the pace of hikes would pose a risk to gold’s rally, Innes noted.
The Fed is expected to leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday while signalling a gradual tightening of monetary policy later this year as the U.S. economy continues to expand and job gains remain solid.
Traders were also waiting for the U.S. jobs report on Friday that will include data on nonfarm payrolls and average hourly earnings.
Spot gold is expected to break support at $1,335 per ounce and fall more towards the Jan. 18 low of $1,323.70, as suggested by its wave pattern and a Fibonacci retracement analysis, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.
In other precious metals, silver climbed 0.4 percent to $17.20 per ounce, after hitting a one-week low of $17.03 earlier in the session.
Palladium was up 0.4 percent at $1,058.74 per ounce, having fallen nearly 3 percent in the previous session to mark a five-week low at $1,047.00.
Platinum gained 0.7 percent to $1,002.90 per ounce. It is up 8.4 percent for the month so far, on track for its best month since January, 2017. It hit a one-week low the session before.
