Gold gains as US dollar eases ahead of critical inflation data

Gold is doing what gold does best: climbing a wall of worry. Spot prices rose 0.3% to $4,418.79 per ounce as the US dollar index slipped by an equal measure, giving the yellow metal some breathing room ahead of what could be the most consequential week of economic data in months. The inflation gauntlet Two data releases are commanding the market’s full attention. Producer price data drops on September 10, followed by the consumer price index on September 11. Together, they form the clearest picture of where US inflation stands heading into the Fed’s September 16 meeting. Market participants are currently pricing in a 60% probability of a rate hike at that meeting, a figure that has climbed in recent weeks. That’s a meaningful shift in expectations, and it means every decimal point in the upcoming inflation prints carries outsized weight. Gold doesn’t pay interest or dividends. That makes it inherently less attractive when rates are rising, because the opportunity cost of holding it increases. Think of it like choosing between a savings account paying 5% and a bar of metal sitting in a vault. The math only works for gold when rates are low or falling, or when inflation is eroding th...