Investing.com -- Gold fell sharply on Friday, amid a considerable sell-off late in the session, as a persistently sluggish dollar surged to one-week highs weighing on the yellow metal.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold for June delivery traded in a tight range between $1,241.90 and $1,254.10 an ounce before settling at XXXXX, down XXXX or XXXX% on the day. After eclipsing $1,270 on Thursday to reach its highest level in more than a month, gold posted its second consecutive losing session. Consequently, Gold closed lower for the second time in three weeks. Despite Friday's significant losses, the precious metal is still up more than 16% since the start of the year and is on pace for one of its strongest opening halves in more than a decade.
Gold likely gained support at $1,063.20, the low from January 4 and was met with resistance at $1,280.70, the high from Mar. 11.
Metal traders continued to digest relatively dovish comments from European Central Bank president Mario Draghi on Thursday regarding the likelihood of future easing measures from the central bank. It came after the ECB's Governing Council left its benchmark interest rate for the euro zone at a record-low of zero and its deposit rate unchanged at Minus-0.4%. More critically, Draghi noted that the ECB could continue to hold interest rates at comparative low levels beyond the expiration of a comprehensive €80 billion a month Quantitative Easing program in March, 2017.
The decision came days before the start of the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) two-day meeting on April 26-27. At the meeting, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave its benchmark Federal Funds Rate at a targeted range between 0.25 and 0.50%. The Fed has left short-term interest rates unchanged in each of its first two meetings this year. This week, the majority of respondents in a poll taken by Reuters expect the Fed to hold rates firm at the meeting, before approving a rate hike in June. Of the 80 economists polled in the survey, more than two-thirds agreed that the FOMC will lift the Fed Funds Rate by 25 basis points in June to 0.50-0.75%. Another 20% believe the FOMC will implement its first rate hike of the year in September.
Any rate hikes by the Fed this year are viewed as bearish for gold, which struggles to compete with high-yield bearing assets in rising rate environments.
Elsewhere, factory conditions in the U.S. remain soft as the PMI Manufacturing Index flash reading for April fell 0.6 to 50.8, sharply below analysts' expectations of 52.0. Any reading above 50.0 provides indications of monthly growth. Nevertheless, April's flash reading represents its lowest level since the start of the recovery of global financial markets.
The U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the strength of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, surged more than 0.5% to an intraday high of 95.15, its highest level in a week. The index is still down more than 1.5% over the last two months.
Dollar-denominated commodities such as gold become more expensive for foreign purchasers when the dollar appreciates.
Yields on the U.S. 10-Year reached an intraday high of 1.897%, hitting its highest level in three weeks for a second consecutive session.
Silver for May delivery lost 0.215 or 1.26% to $16.875 an ounce, falling off from near 11-month highs from earlier in the week.
Copper for May delivery gained 0.013 or 0.58% to close at $2.264 a pound.