-- (Updates prices.)
Gold traded higher midafternoon Thursday as the dollar dropped after a report showed a key U.S. inflation measure rose last month while first-quarter gross domestic product rose less than expected.
Gold for June delivery was last seen up US$71.30 to US$4,632.80 per ounce, remaining within the US$200 range it has traded within for the past month.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the March Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure, rose 0.7% in March from the prior month, up from 0.4% fin February, but matching expectations according to Marketwatch. Core PCE, excluding volatile food and energy, rose 3.2% annualized, up from 3.0% in February and again matching expectations.
The bureau also issued its first estimate of first-quarter U.S. GDP growth, reporting the measure rose at a 2.0% pace, up from 0.5% in the prior quarter and under expectations for a 2.2% rise.
Gold's gain comes despite expectations higher interest rates are on the way as the war on Iran pushes up inflation. The Federal Reserve's policy committee on Wednesday ended its two-day meeting on Wednesday leaving rates unchanged, but signaled hikes may be on the horizon as inflation climbs.
"Gold has attracted fresh demand despite rising bond yields and a firmer dollar following Wednesday's FOMC meeting, where rates were left unchanged, but several members signalled a desire to remove the easing bias as the Iran war continues to cloud the economic outlook," Saxo Bank wrote.
Still, the dollar was sharply lower early following the economic data, with the ICE dollar index last seen down 0.81 points to 98.15. Treasury yields also fell, with the yield on the U.S. two-year note last seen down 7.1 basis points to 3.894%, while the 10-year note was paying 4.397%, down 3.7 points.