Gold prices dented by stronger dollar ahead of Fed minutes

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Gold bullion is displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su

By Bharat Gautam

(Reuters) - Gold prices fell on Wednesday as the dollar firmed in the run-up to minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's May policy meeting, which could provide cues on its policy tightening path.

Spot gold was down 0.4% at $1,859.39 per ounce by 0820 GMT, after rising to a two-week high of $1,869.49 on Tuesday. U.S. gold futures dropped 0.4% to $1,857.80.

The dollar advanced after hitting its lowest level in a month in the previous session, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for buyers holding other currencies. [USD/]

"Traders will be looking to the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) minutes for policy hints beyond June and July, as September rate hike expectations could be hugely pivotal for gold prices," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

The FOMC is expected to release the minutes from its May 3–4 policy meeting at 1800 GMT.

However, "investors are struggling with how to assess the landing path of inflation now that peak inflation is behind us. The question for the market is how long it will take to normalize, and that uncertainly is helping gold," Innes said.

While gold is seen as an inflation hedge, higher short-term U.S. interest rates raise the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

As the Federal Reserve amps up its fight against 40-year-high inflation with what is expected to be a string of big interest-rate increases, a U.S. central banker injected a note of caution, warning headlong rate hikes could create "significant economic dislocation."

Spot gold may stabilise around a support at $1,856 per ounce and retest a resistance at $1,867, according to Reuters' technical analyst Wang Tao. [TECH/C]

Spot silver fell 0.7% to $21.93 per ounce, platinum eased 1.2% to $943.32, and palladium dropped 0.5% to $1,997.41.