By 0118 GMT, gold in spot transactions fell by 0.2 percent to $3,858.50 an ounce, after reaching an all-time high of $3,895.09 yesterday, Wednesday. The dollar index rose by 0.1 percent against rival currencies, making gold more expensive for holders of other currencies.
Data showed that private sector jobs in the United States decreased by 32,000 in September after declining by 3,000 jobs in August following a downward revision. The U.S. government halted most of its activities, threatening thousands of federal jobs after divisions between the Republican and Democratic parties prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding agreement.
The shutdown may delay the release of economic indicator data, including the closely watched non-farm payroll report expected tomorrow, Friday. According to the CME’s FedWatch tool, traders are expecting a 25 basis point cut in the main interest rate this month.
As for other precious metals, silver in spot transactions fell by 0.5 percent to $47.07 an ounce. Platinum dropped by 0.3 percent to $1,552.05, while palladium rose by one percent to $1,256.93.
