FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was flat at $1,760.46 per ounce by 0015 GMT. U.S. gold futures rose 0.1% to $1,761.20.
* Three Fed policymakers said on Tuesday the economy has healed enough for the central bank to begin to withdraw its crisis-era support, cementing expectations the Fed will start to taper its monthly bond purchases as soon as next month.
* Reduced central bank stimulus and interest rate hikes tend to push government bond yields up, translating into a higher opportunity cost for holding gold that pays no interest.
* As inflationary pressures mount worldwide, money markets are charging ahead with pricing aggressive interest rate rises, in most cases betting that policy will be tightened far sooner and at a much faster pace than rate-setters are signalling.
* Persistent supply chain disruptions and inflation pressures are constraining the global economy’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Monetary Fund said as it cut growth outlooks for the United States and other major industrial powers.
* The number of Americans voluntarily quitting their jobs surged to a record high in August and there were more than 10 million vacancies, pointing to a tightening labour market.
* Spot silver gained 0.1% to $22.54 per ounce, while platinum fell 0.1% to $1,006.05. Palladium was 0.1% higher at $2,047.80 per ounce.
