FX.co ★ Gold Slips as Warsh’s Hawkish Tone Boosts Rate-Hike Bets

Gold prices fell toward $4,560 an ounce on Friday, their lowest level in a week, as investors reacted to what was widely viewed as hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. In his first major speech since assuming the role in May, Warsh cautioned that inflation is not slowing in a meaningful way and stressed that policymakers must be confident that underlying price pressures are easing; otherwise, the central bank still has “work to do.” He reaffirmed that the Fed is firmly committed to returning inflation to its 2% goal, which he called a “firm and fixed” target, and noted that current financial conditions are not restrictive. His closely watched comments offered clearer insight into his economic and policy stance, following criticism that his relatively limited public communication had left markets with little guidance on the near-term outlook. In response, markets raised the implied probability of a September rate hike to nearly 50%, according to the CME FedWatch tool.