Gold steadies below $2,000 before CPI data, Fed meeting

Investing.com-- Gold prices moved little on Tuesday, with the yellow metal nursing a sharp fall away from record highs as markets hunkered down before key U.S. inflation data, as well as a Federal Reserve interest rate decision.

Gold lost the coveted $2,000 an ounce level this week as markets second-guessed bets that the Fed will cut interest rates by as soon as March 2024. These bets had briefly driven gold to record highs of over $2,100 an ounce earlier this month.

But gold plummeted sharply from record highs over the past week, as signs of resilience in the U.S. economy saw markets betting that the Fed will have more space to keep rates higher for longer.

This notion supported the dollar and also spurred some risk-taking, which pressured gold prices.

Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1,986.24 an ounce, while gold futures expiring February rose 0.4% to $2,001.40 an ounce by 00:12 ET (05:12 GMT).

US inflation, Fed rate decision in focus

Markets were now squarely focused on U.S. consumer price index (CPI) inflation data, due later on Tuesday. While the reading is expected to show that inflation eased slightly in November, it is still expected to remain well above the Fed’s 2% annual target.

Following the inflation data, the Fed is set to decide on interest rates for the final time this year on Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to keep rates on hold, but any signals from the central bank on the path of interest rates in 2024 will be closely watched.

So far, the Fed has largely maintained its rhetoric that rates will remain higher for longer. But recent signs of some cooling in the U.S. economy spurred some bets on an early rate cut next year.

Gold has traded largely according to signals on U.S. monetary policy in recent months, given that higher rates increase the opportunity cost of investing in the yellow metal.

This notion has also kept gold away from record highs for most of the year.

Copper steadies after China disinflation shock

Among industrial metals, copper prices rose slightly on Tuesday after concerns over an economic slowdown in top importer China spurred steep losses this week.

Copper futures expiring in March rose 0.3% to $3.7945 a pound, after losing 1.4% in the prior session.

Data released over the weekend showed China, the world’s largest copper importer, slid further into disinflation in November.

The reading ramped up concerns over a sustained economic slowdown in the country, and also set a negative tone for copper markets, given that slowing growth in China bodes poorly for copper demand.

Focus is now on more Chinese economic cues this week, with industrial production data due on Friday.

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