Gold rose on Thursday as uncertainty over the outcome of the U.S. election upheld the safe-haven demand for bullion and weakened the dollar, offsetting signals from the Federal Reserve that it could hike interest rates next month.
Investors are becoming more jittery amid a tightening race for the U.S. presidency, sending gold higher for a sixth day while weighing on equities and the Mexican peso.
Bullion climbed to a one-month high, U.S. equity index futures fell and Asia ex-Japan stocks held near their lowest level since September after Fox News reported that a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe involving Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was intensifying. The peso slid versus all of its major peers on concern Mexican exports will suffer if she loses. Bloomberg’s dollar index dropped for a fifth day amid speculation the election’s fallout could kill off any prospect of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates next month.
Futures on the S&P 500 Index fell 0.2 percent following a seventh day of losses in the U.S. benchmark, its longest selloff since November 2011.
Over the last 20 years the S&P 500 index has only recorded a seven-day losing streak on three separate occasions. The first was in 2008after Lehman Brothers collapsed, while the other two were during Europe's 2011 debt crisis. If the index ends the day lower on Wednesday, it'll chalk up a fourth.
"Some people think that Donald Trump would become the U.S. president and if that happens it is negative for the U.S. dollar and positive for gold," said Jiang Shu, chief analyst at Shandong Gold Group. "On the other hand, the U.S. dollar has been rising for almost a month and it needs some technical correction."
"Nonfarm payrolls data on Friday and U.S. election on Tuesday should provide plenty of volatility," said MKS PAMP Group trader Jason Cerisola.
Reference: Reuters, Bloomberg