Gold set for weekly loss on stronger dollar, rate-hike bets
Gold edged lower on Friday and was headed for its second consecutive weekly loss, pressured by a stronger dollar and higher oil prices that boosted expectations of interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Spot gold was down 0.4% at $4,522.89 per ounce by 0222 GMT. The metal was down about 0.3% for the week so far. US gold futures for June delivery lost 0.4% to $4,524.40. The dollar held near a six-week high, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies. “What’s been driving (gold) lower has been the stronger dollar, which in turn is being elevated by ongoing high interest rates pretty much around the world,” said Edward Meir, an analyst at Marex.