By Anushree Mukherjee
(Reuters) – Gold prices eased on Thursday, pressured by a firmer U.S. dollar, as investor worries eased temporarily after President Donald Trump said he did not plan to oust Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Spot gold was down 0.5% at $3,330.21 per ounce, as of 0827 GMT. U.S. gold futures fell 0.7% to $3,335.70.
The dollar index was up 0.3% against its rivals on Thursday, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for other currency holders. [USD/]
This comes after a source told Reuters on Wednesday that Trump was open to the idea of firing Powell, which pushed gold prices as much as 1.6% higher. [GOL/]
However, Trump later said he does not plan to sack Powell but left the door open to the possibility and renewed his criticism of the Fed chief for not lowering interest rates.
“Yesterday, gold prices rose on the back of these rumours, which were unfounded. Since the rumours were quelled, prices have been falling,” said Nitesh Shah, commodities strategist at WisdomTree.
Investors are, meanwhile, awaiting U.S. jobless claims and retail sales data on Thursday, along with speeches by several Fed officials that may offer insights into the central bank’s policy outlook.
In tariff-related news, Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. will probably “live by the letter” on tariffs with Japan and may have a trade deal coming up with India.
“I think if we come out of (the tariff deadline of) August 1 with much better trade deals, then that could be gold price-negative,” Shah said.
Analysts noted that gold is currently showing limited reaction to trade uncertainties and is awaiting fresh catalysts. Prices remain range-bound between $3,300 and $3,400.
Elsewhere, spot silver fell 0.4% to $37.78 per ounce. Platinum lost 0.7% to $1,407.03 and palladium eased 0.8% to $1,221.33.
(Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema)
