Commodities
Gold Prices Rise on Reduced Rate Hike Expectations
Gold prices continued their upward trend on August 17, 2026, as reduced expectations for an interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve weighed on the US dollar. This made bullion cheaper for most buyers and boosted gold's two-day gain.
The spot price of gold steadied near $4,415 an ounce after adding 1.5% over the previous two sessions. The Bloomberg Terminal gauge of the dollar dropped to its lowest since May after a run of softer US economic data.
Swaps are no longer fully pricing in another rate increase by the Fed before the end of the year, as they were just a week ago. This shift in expectations contributed to gold's two-day gain and the decline of the dollar.