- Israel and Lebanon begin ceasefire
- Trump says Iran war should end 'soon'
- Dollar heads for second weekly drop
- Indian banks halt gold, silver import orders from overseas suppliers
April 17 (Reuters) - Gold held largely steady on Friday and was on track for a fourth straight weekly gain, as hopes for a U.S.-Iran peace deal eased fears of higher inflation and elevated interest rates.
Spot gold eased 0.1% to $4,783.91 per ounce by 0815 GMT, but was up about 0.9% so far this week. U.S. gold futures for June fell 0.1% to $4,805.20.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached to end the Iran war and urged the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah group to hold its fire as a 10-day truce went into effect between Lebanon and Israel.
"Investors are now watching closely for concrete progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations. Any progress or extension of the current fragile ceasefire could further calm oil markets and inflation fears, potentially unlocking more upside for gold," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.
The U.S. dollar was headed for a second weekly drop, making greenback-denominated commodities more affordable for holders of other currencies.
Oil prices fell, easing fears of higher inflation on optimism that the Iran war could be nearing an end.
Concerns that higher energy prices could stoke inflation and keep global interest rates higher for longer have driven down gold prices by more than 8% since the Iran war began in late February.
While gold is considered an inflation hedge, higher interest rates crimp demand for the non-yielding asset.
Traders now see a 27% chance of a 25-basis-point Federal Reserve interest rate cut in December. Before the war, there were expectations of two reductions for this year. FEDWATCH
Meanwhile, Indian banks have halted gold and silver import orders from overseas suppliers, with tons of the metals stuck at customs as a formal government order has not been issued authorising bullion imports.
Gold demand in India was modest this week, as high domestic prices weighed on retail purchases ahead of the key Akshaya Tritiya festival weekend, while premiums in China held steady.
Spot silver rose 0.7% to $78.97 per ounce, and was headed for a fourth straight weekly gain.
Platinum was steady at $2,085.70, while palladium was down 0.1% at $1,548.82. Both the metals were on track for a third straight weekly gain.
Reporting by Noel John in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu
Source: Reuters