PRECIOUS-Gold drops as oil rises on renewed US-Iran hostilities

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 06/10/26 12:28 AM EDT

* Gold falls for fourth straight session

* US launches new strikes against Iran

* US May Consumer Price Index due at 1230 GMT (Updates prices as of 0414 GMT)

By Pablo Sinha

June 10 (Reuters) - Gold fell to an 11-week low on Wednesday, as the dollar and oil prices rose on renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, fuelling concerns about inflation and interest rate hikes.

Spot gold was down 1.9% at $4,181.04 per ounce by 0414 GMT, after hitting its lowest level since March 23. U.S. gold futures for August delivery shed 1.9% to $4,204.70.

The dollar rose, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies. Oil prices jumped 1%, stoking concerns around inflation and cementing expectations that interest rates would stay higher for longer.

"The driver really is the shift in Federal Reserve policy expectations, the rise in yields and the rise in the dollar. I think all of those things are weighing on gold," said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive. The United States on Tuesday launched strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said Tehran had shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, deepening doubts over a potential peace deal and further straining a fragile truce. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out attacks against a U.S. base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for the American strikes.

Traders are now pricing in a more than 70% chance of a U.S. rate hike by December, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

While gold is seen as a hedge against inflation, higher rates tend to weigh on the non-yielding metal.

Markets are awaiting key U.S. inflation reports this week, including the May Consumer Price Index data later in the day and the Producer Price Index reading on Thursday, to gauge the Fed's monetary policy stance.

"If we can break the $4,100 level, I think the path of resistance fundamentally changes for gold, and we might be starting to look at $3,500 as the next level into the end of the year," Spivak said. Spot silver fell 2.1% to $64.01 per ounce, platinum dropped 3.4% to $1,667.92, and palladium fell 1.5% to $1,204.24. (Reporting by Pablo Sinha in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Sonia Cheema)

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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