Gold Holds Near $4,600 Ahead of Fed Chair Warsh Speech

Gold prices held steady near $4,600 per ounce on Thursday, consolidating recent gains as investors weighed strong U.S. economic data against persistent inflation concerns ahead of a key speech by Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. The precious metal, which had snapped a five-day winning streak on Wednesday, showed resilience by drifting higher on Thursday despite better-than-expected U.S. jobs data.

The market's focus is squarely on Warsh's address at the Jackson Hole symposium on Friday, his first major speech as Fed chairman. Traders are seeking clues about the central bank's policy path after recent data showed inflation remains well above the Fed's 2% target. Money markets currently expect the Fed to hold rates steady at its September 16 meeting, but are pricing in a 72% chance of a rate hike by December.

Gold's recent rally, which has seen prices surge about 13% this month, has been fueled by a combination of factors. A key catalyst was the U.S. Treasury's unexpected intervention in the bond market last week to contain borrowing costs, which revived investor interest in the so-called "debasement trade." This strategy involves buying hard assets like gold as a hedge against...