Qatar Posts $549 Mln First-quarter Budget Surplus

Qatar Posts $549 Mln First-quarter Budget Surplus

Gold prices were on track for a second consecutive weekly gain on Friday due to improved interest rate cut expectations, providing support to silver and platinum, which are up 5.6% and 6.3%, respectively, this week.

Spot gold rose 0.5% to $2,387.85 per ounce by 1141 GMT. Bullion prices are up 1% so far this week after hitting a one-month high on Thursday.

"Signs that inflation may be slowing down raise the prospect of interest rate cuts in the coming months, which tend to support gold and silver prices," said Frank Watson, market analyst at Kinesis Money, Reuters reported.

On the demand side, expectations of continuing strong demand in China got a boost after the country announced more efforts to stabilize its crisis-hit property sector.

Demand in China, which contributed to the gold price rally in recent months, is becoming more crucial as the market is waiting to see if high gold prices prompt some central banks to slow down purchases and as outflows from physically backed gold exchange-traded funds continue.

Global central banks actively bought gold in 2022-2023, but the largest purchaser among them, China's central bank slowed down buying in April when spot gold prices hit a record high of $2,431.29.

"Central banks these days