Gold prices hold firm above $2,000 mark on Fed rate cut hopes

Spot gold rose 0.1 percent to $2,042.10 per ounce, as of 0729 GMT. US gold futures gained 0.2 percent at $2,055.90.

Gold prices edged up and held above the key $2,000 level on December 20, supported by prospects of interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve next year, while investors awaited US inflation numbers due later this week.

Spot gold rose 0.1 percent to $2,042.10 per ounce, as of 0729 GMT. US gold futures gained 0.2 percent at $2,055.90.

Last week, the Fed indicated its tightening phase was at an end and signalled that rate cuts are in the cards for 2024.

Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic on Tuesday said there is no current "urgency" for the central bank to reduce US interest rates given the strength of the economy.

"The Fed are pushing back on rate cuts, and unless we see a materially weaker PCE inflation report then there could be some room for disappointment from those calling for a March cut, and limit gold’s upside potential," said Matt Simpson, a senior analyst at City Index.

Markets are pricing in about a 75 percent chance of a rate cut in March, according to CME FedWatch tool. Lower US interest rates pressure the dollar and bond yields, increasing the appeal of non-yielding bullion.

"Gold could certainly hit a new high in 2024. But the bigger question is if it can hold on to any such breakout given its inability to hold above $2,075 for any length of time over the years," Simpson said.

Investors now await the November core personal consumption expenditure (PCE) index report, the Fed’s preferred measure of underlying inflation, due on December 22.

Further progress on beating back inflation will be the decisive factor in any Fed decision next year to reduce interest rates, Chicago Fed Bank President Austan Goolsbee said.

Spot silver climbed 0.2 percent to $24.08 per ounce, while platinum added 0.2 percent to $955.87. Palladium fell 0.4 percent to $1,218.96.