PRECIOUS-Gold gains on dip-buying; investors await US inflation data

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 02/13/26 07:21 AM EST

*

All precious metals set for weekly losses

*

ANZ raises gold price forecast to $5,800/oz for Q2

*

US CPI data due at 8:30 a.m. ET (1330 GMT)

(Updates prices for EMEA mid-session trading)

By Pablo Sinha

Feb 13 (Reuters) - Gold rose on Friday, regaining ground after Thursday's ?near one-week low, as bargain-hunters stepped in, with investors ?keeping an eye on key U.S. inflation data due later in the day for cues on the Federal ?Reserve's policy outlook.

Spot gold was up 0.7% at $4,951.90 per ounce as of 1158 GMT, but ?is down 0.1% so far this week. U.S. gold ?futures for April delivery rose ?0.5% to $4,971.70 per ounce.

"Dip-buying by market participants in Asia, where demand for gold has been particularly strong, ?appears to be driving the rebound in gold ?prices," said Hamad Hussain, a climate and commodities economist at Capital Economics.

China's gold market saw robust demand heading into the Lunar New Year holiday, ?while in India, gold flipped to ?a discount this ?week for the first time in a month as softer demand amid volatile prices deterred buyers.

Gold slumped about 3% on Thursday, falling to its lowest ?in nearly a week, as strong U.S. jobs data dampened hopes of near-term Fed ?rate cuts. A break below $5,000 per ounce deepened losses, as selling pressure intensified.

Data on Wednesday showed the United States added 130,000 jobs in January, compared to analysts' estimates of 70,000.

However, "the moves seem to be irrespective of what the market fundamentals are, not ?because of ?them, and the market fundamentals across the (precious metals) complex remain positive," ?said independent analyst Ross Norman.

Analysts at ANZ on Friday raised their gold forecasts to $5,800/oz ?from $5,400 for the second quarter, noting that the metal remains an insurance asset against a plethora of uncertainties.

Investors are now looking out for the Consumer Price Index data, due later on Friday, to gauge the health of the labor market and the prospects of further rate cuts this year. Non-yielding bullion tends to do well in low-interest-rate environments.

Spot silver climbed 2.7% to $77.18 per ounce, snapping ?back from an 11% decline in the previous session. It was on track for a weekly loss of 0.8%.

Spot platinum edged 0.3% higher to $2,008.96 per ounce and palladium ?was up 1.1% at $1,633.75. Both metals were ?set to notch weekly losses. (Reporting by Pablo Sinha in ?Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara)

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.

fir_news_article