MSN: Gold edges into positive territory after U.S. data
LONDON (Reuters) - Gold prices edged back into positive territory on Friday after a report showed the U.S. economy added fewer jobs than expected last month, fuelling speculation the Federal Reserve may turn to further monetary easing to boost growth.
The data, which is seen as a key gauge of the economic recovery, showed only 115,000 more jobs were created last month, against expectations for 170,000. The dollar, a key driver of gold prices, hit session lows after the numbers.
Spot gold was up 0.1 percent at $1,637.71 an ounce at 1314 GMT, off an earlier low of $1,626.50. U.S. gold futures for June delivery were up $3.10 an ounce at $1,637.90.
"The numbers were less than consensus, but beat some more bearish expectations," Societe Generale analyst Robin Bhar said.
"The $64 million question is what it means for quantitative easing, which of course is key for the gold market," he said. "The euro/dollar hasn't shifted a huge amount."
A fresh round of quantitative easing would undermine the dollar and keep real interest rates at rock-bottom levels. Speculation that such measures could be on the cards has been a major driver of higher gold prices this year.