PRECIOUS-Gold ticks up; spotlight on Fed meet, details of US-Iran deal
BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 11:18 AM EDT* Warsh-led Fed expected to hold interest rates steady
* Any whiff of hawkishness may weigh on gold, analyst says
* Trump threatens to resume bombing campaign if Iran does not "behave" (Updates prices, adds comment from trader in paragraph 3)
By Ashitha Shivaprasad
June 17 (Reuters) - Gold prices edged higher on Wednesday as investors awaited the U.S. central bank's first policy decision under new Chair Kevin Warsh, along with further details of the U.S.-Iran peace agreement for further direction.
Spot gold was up 0.3% at $4,344.47 per ounce by 11:09 a.m. EDT (1509 GMT). U.S. gold futures rose 0.2% at $4,364.70.
"Gold buyers may be betting on a dovish Warsh later today, grinding higher despite indifferent stocks, higher yields and a higher dollar," said Tai Wong, an independent metals trader.
The Federal Reserve's rate decision, policy statement and updated policymaker projections will be released at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT). Warsh, who replaced former Fed chief Jerome Powell last month, will hold a press conference half-an-hour later.
"Looking at the charts, prices may push higher toward $4,350 if $4,300 proves reliable support. Weakness below $4,300 could trigger a selloff back toward the $4250-$4200 per ounce support area," said Lukman Otunuga, senior research analyst at FXTM.
Spot gold touched a near six-month low last week as inflation fears stoked by the Iran conflict boosted expectations of U.S. rate hikes. While gold is often seen as a hedge against inflation, elevated interest rates tend to pressure bullion, as it offers no yield.
Prices rebounded after the U.S. and Iran agreed on a framework deal.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the agreement reached this week with Iran was not final, and that he could resume a bombing campaign if he did not like it.
"Gold and silver could hit a cyclical low between late 2026 and early 2027. In our baseline scenario, gold could trade at an average of around $4,000 per ounce by the end of the year, whilst silver could settle at around $60," Intesa Sanpaolo economist Daniela Corsini said in a note.
Among other metals, spot silver gained 0.2% to $70.30 per ounce. Platinum lost 1.2% to $1,782.23 and palladium fell 0.2% at $1,349.36. (Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Diti Pujara)
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