Gold inches up on hopes of economic stimulus

Monday,   09-Sep-2019   09:37 AM (IST)

Gold prices edged higher on Monday, after falling nearly 1% in the previous session, on expectations of monetary policy easing by the world’s major economies amid soft economic data, although an uptick in equities limited gains. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $1,511.30 per ounce, as of 0117 GMT. U.S. gold futures were up 0.2% at $1,518.5 an ounce. China’s exports unexpectedly fell in August as shipments to the United States slowed sharply, pointing to further weakness in the world’s second-largest economy and underlining a pressing need for more stimulus as the Sino-U.S. trade war escalates. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is sticking to his Brexit plan and will not seek a delay to Britain’s departure from the European Union at a summit next month, two ministers said on Sunday despite the latest resignation from his government. The U.S. Federal Reserve will continue to act “as appropriate” to sustain the economic expansion in the world’s biggest economy, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Friday in Zurich, sticking to a phrase that financial markets have read as signalling further interest-rate reductions ahead. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday the United States wants “near term” results from U.S.-China trade talks in September and October but cautioned that the trade conflict could take years to resolve. U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in August, with retail hiring declining for a seventh straight month, but strong wage gains should support consumer spending and keep the economy expanding moderately amid rising threats from trade tensions. Japan’s economy grew at a slower pace than initially estimated in the second quarter on the back of softer capital spending, signalling strains on the economy from weaker global growth and the U.S.-China trade war. Hedge funds and money managers upped their bullish positions in COMEX gold and silver contracts in the week to Sept. 3, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday.