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Fed's September meeting minutes due at 1800 GMT
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Gold hit its lowest since Sept. 20 in the last session
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Odds of 25 bps US rate cut in November at 88%
(Recasts as of 1324 GMT)
By Anushree Mukherjee
Oct 9 (Reuters) -
Gold retreated for the sixth straight day on Wednesday on an
advancing dollar and diminished expectations for a larger rate
cut in November while markets awaited minutes from the Federal
Reserve's September policy meeting for further insights.
Spot gold fell 0.4% to $2,612.88 per ounce by 9:24
a.m. ET (1324 GMT), having touched its lowest level since Sept.
20 on Tuesday. U.S. gold futures for December delivery
eased 0.2% to $2,630.80.
The dollar index hit a near two-month high, making
bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies.
"The dollar index continues to firm up, and economic
data is more supportive for a 25 basis point cut," said Phillip
Streible, chief market strategist at Blue Line Futures.
If the Fed minutes are extremely dovish and it seems
pressured to cut rates aggressively, that could act as a
tailwind for gold and could push prices to the $2,650 level, he
added.
Investors now await the minutes from the Fed's Sept. 18
policy meeting, due at 1800 GMT, while the U.S. Consumer Price
Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) data is due on
Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Zero-yield bullion is a preferred investment amid lower
interest rates.
Following last week's robust jobs report, markets are
expecting an 88% likelihood of a 25-basis-point cut and
discounted a 50-bps cut at the Fed's November meeting, according
to the CME FedWatch tool.
"Despite the modest pull-back, expectations of lower
interest rates and ongoing geopolitical tensions suggest the
backdrop for gold is likely to remain supportive over the long
term," said Kinesis Money market analyst Carlo Alberto De Casa
in a note.
Meanwhile, a rebound in gold prices to a record peak dashed
the Indian bullion industry's expectations of a lucrative
festival season.
In other metals, spot silver lost 1% to $30.38 per
ounce. Platinum was down 0.3% to $947.30, and palladium
fell 0.6% to $1,015.38.