Investing.com - Gold prices fell back towards a two-month low during North American hours on Wednesday, after upbeat U.S. employment data added to speculation that the Federal Reserve is gearing up to hike interest rates as soon as next month.
Payroll processing firm ADP said that non-farm private employment rose by 177,000 in August, surpassing expectations for an increase of 175,000. The economy created 194,000 jobs in July, whose figure was revised from a previously reported increase of 179,000.
Besides the ADP report, there is also Chicago PMI data at 9:45AM ET (13:45GMT) Wednesday and a report on pending home sales at 10:00AM ET (14:00GMT).
Market players are also looking ahead to Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report, which could determine whether the Fed raises rates in September. The consensus forecast is that the data will show jobs growth of 180,000 in August, following an increase of 255,000 in the preceding month.
Gold for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped $1.60, or 0.12%, to trade at $1,314.90 by 8:25AM ET (12:25GMT).
A day earlier, prices fell to as low as $1,312.00, a level not seen since June 28, amid speculation the Fed will raise interest rates at early as next month.
According to Investing.com's Fed Rate Monitor Tool, investors are pricing in a 27% chance of a rate hike by September. December odds were at around 56%.
The precious metal is sensitive to moves in U.S. rates, which lift the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets such as bullion, while boosting the dollar in which it is priced.
The growing possibility for an imminent rate hike lifted the dollar to one-month highs against major currencies such as the yen and euro.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was at 96.15 early Wednesday, after rising to 96.19, its highest since August 9.
A stronger U.S. dollar usually weighs on gold, as it dampens the metal's appeal as an alternative asset and makes dollar-priced commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies.