Gold regains lost ground in Pakistan

• Gold price gains Rs2,800 per tola in Pakistan.
• Bargain hunters are taking advantage of recent losses.
• Silver price rise by Rs30 per tola.

Gold regained lost ground on Saturday, as bargain hunting trickled in after prices dropped a day earlier in response to the continued recovery of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar.

Data released by the All-Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA) showed that the price of gold (24 carats) increased by Rs2,800 per tola and Rs2,400 per 10 grams to settle at Rs196,000 and Rs168,038, respectively.

The bargain hunters took advantage of recent losses, but the precious metal’s outlook was still clouded by prospects of further recovery of the rupee against the greenback as optimism regarding the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme boosted the currency market’s sentiment.

Cumulatively, the precious commodity lost Rs2,400 per tola during the week ended February 18. 

Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market rose by Rs30 per tola and Rs25.72 per 10 grams to settle at Rs2,130 per tola and Rs1,826.13 per 10 grams, respectively.

In the international market, gold prices edged higher but were still on track for their third straight weekly dip, weighed down by an overall stronger dollar and bond yields following fresh hawkish rhetoric from US Federal Reserve officials. The price settled at $1,843 per ounce after gaining $19.

The dollar’s advance, paired with the hawkish outlook from members of the Fed, was weighing on the market, said Phillip Streible, chief market strategist at Blue Line Futures in Chicago.

Fed officials this week said the US central bank likely should have lifted interest rates more than it did early this month, with Fed Governor Michelle Bowman reiterating the 2% inflation goal.

Higher interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding zero-yield bullion. Prices of the precious metal are down about 7.3% since its nine-month peak earlier this month.

Goldman Sachs said it expected the Fed to raise rates three more times this year by a quarter of a percentage point each.

Traders await next week’s release of the latest FOMC minutes and US GDP data for more clues on the path of rate hikes.