By Gold prices were subdued on Thursday as recent comments from Federal Reserve officials failed to provide clarity on the outlook for U.S. interest rates.
Spot gold slipped 0.2 percent to $1,947.10 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures were down 0.3 percent at $1,951.95.
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson on Wednesday said that high uncertainty could warrant an aggressive, rather than a gradual, policy response.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell didn’t comment on monetary policy or the economic outlook in prepared remarks at a conference on Wednesday. He will appear again on a panel discussing monetary policy challenges later today.
Elsewhere, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos told Slovenia’s Finance newspaper in an interview published today that any talk of lowering borrowing costs in the coming months is clearly premature.
In the Middle East, investors remain hopeful that tensions will remain contained between Israel and Palestine.
On the economic front, data showed earlier today that the Chinese economy deflated in October due to weak consumer spending and a surprise slump in factory data.
