(Bloomberg) -- Gold fell, erasing some of Tuesday’s advance, as traders await Israel’s response to Iranian missile strikes.
Bullion traded down after climbing as much as 1.5% during the previous session when Iran struck Israel with ballistic missiles. President Benjamin Netanyahu called the move a “big mistake” and vowed to make Iran “pay for it.” The US is actively supporting preparations to defend Israel, according to an earlier report.
“Geopolitical headlines often trigger immediate market reactions, but these tend to reverse if no significant assets are impacted,” said Charu Chanana, a strategist at Saxo Capital Markets Pte, who added that gold remained an attractive hedge. “When considering how markets might react next, the key worry would be risks of an escalation, particularly if Iran’s oil assets could be targeted.”
Gold has rallied almost 30% this year, hitting a series of record highs in the process. Recent gains have been fueled by anticipation of interest-rate easing by the Federal Reserve, which last month kicked off its cutting cycle with a 50-basis-point move.
Traders also will be looking to the US jobs report due Friday, which may prove to be pivotal in offering insights on the Fed’s pace of rate cuts. Swaps traders are wagering on a one-in-three chance the central bank will deliver another half-point reduction in November.
Spot gold was down 0.6% to $2,646.75 an ounce as of 11:02 a.m. in New York. It reached a record high of $2,685.58 last week. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was up 0.2%. Silver, platinum and palladium all gained.
--With assistance from Jack Ryan and Yvonne Yue Li.
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