PRECIOUS-Gold heads for best week since April on Fed pause bets

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 06/02/23 06:17 AM EDT

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Gold, silver set to snap three consecutive weeks of declines

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Platinum, palladium set for weekly losses

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US non-farm payrolls report due at 1230 GMT

(Rewrites, adds details, analyst comment, updates prices)

By Deep Kaushik Vakil

June 2 (Reuters) - Gold prices were on track on Friday for their biggest weekly rise since early April, buoyed by hopes the U.S. Federal Reserve would not raise interest rates at its policy meeting this month, which also weighed on the dollar and bond yields.

Spot gold was up 0.1% to $1,980.49 per ounce at 1005 GMT. U.S. gold futures were up 0.1% to $1,997.40.

Bullion has gained 1.7% so far this week, heading for its best week since the one ended April 7.

With the resolution of uncertainty around the U.S. debt ceiling, "investors are now taking a pause to see what's going to happen with the non-farm payrolls" which are due at 1230 GMT, said ActivTrades senior analyst Ricardo Evangelista.

The U.S. dollar index and 10-year Treasury yields were both headed for their worst weeks since mid-March, making dollar-priced, zero interest-bearing bullion more attractive.

Gold prices could move a little higher from here as the Fed is expected to keep policy on hold in June, said Edward Meir, a metals analyst at Marex.

Philadelphia Fed chief Patrick Harker said on Thursday that U.S. central bankers should not raise interest rates at their next meeting.

Gold, which suffers when rates are higher, found support as markets scaled back expectations to a 27% chance for the Fed to hike rates in June, compared to a 64% chance seen one week ago.

Markets now see a 73% chance for the Fed to keep rates unchanged this month.

But, "if the jobs report today surprises to the upside, we should expect some losses in gold prices," Evangelista said.

Spot silver ticked up 0.1% to $23.93 per ounce, also headed for a weekly gain.

Platinum rose 0.7% to $1,013.28, and palladium advanced 1% to $1,408.19, with both set for weekly losses. (Reporting by Deep Vakil and Arundhati Sarkar in Bengaluru Editing by Mark Potter)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

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