Investing.com - Gold prices fell to the lowest levels of the session on Wednesday, after data showed that U.S. durable goods orders rose unexpectedly in July, boosting optimism over the health of the economy and supporting the case for a U.S. interest rate hike this year.
Gold futures for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange slumped $14.20, or 1.25%, to trade at $1,124.10 a troy ounce during U.S. morning hours after falling to a daily low of $1,123.20.
The U.S. Commerce Department said that total durable goods orders, which include transportation items, increased 2.0% last month, compared to expectations for a decline of 0.4%. Orders for durable goods in June were revised to a gain of 4.1% from a previously reported increase of 3.4%.
Durable goods are typically bulky or heavy products designed to last at three years, such as trains, planes and automobiles.
Core durable goods orders, excluding volatile transportation items, inched up 0.6%, topping forecasts for an increase of 0.4%. Core durable goods orders rose by an upwardly revised 1.0% in June.
Orders for core capital goods, a key barometer of private-sector business investment, increased 2.2% last month, above expectations for a 0.4% increase.
Shipments of core capital goods, a category used to calculate quarterly economic growth, tacked on 0.6%, beating forecasts for a 0.4% gain.
The upbeat data should strengthen expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike as early as next month. The timing of a Fed rate hike has been a constant source of debate in the markets in recent months.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 1.05% early Wednesday to 94.90.
Elsewhere in metals trading, copper for September delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange slumped 5.5 cents, or 2.4%, to trade at $2.258 a pound during morning hours in New York.
After the close of trading in Chinese markets on Wednesday, China's central bank said it will inject 140 billion yuan, or $21.8 billion, into the financial system in an effort to boost liquidity.
Chinese equities struggled on Wednesday, as worries about whether Beijing had done enough to spur its slowing economy remained on investors' minds.
After a rollercoaster session swinging in and out of the red, the Shanghai Composite closed down 1.3%, reflecting investors' views that much more support was needed from the government and the central bank.
China cut interest rates and lowered the reserve requirement ratio for large lenders on Tuesday, in a much-anticipated move that some in the market believed was long overdue.
Recent steep declines in Chinese equity markets have sparked fears that they will hasten an economic downturn and undermined investor confidence in the government’s ability to revitalize economic growth.
The turmoil in markets began when China unexpectedly devalued the yuan on August 11, sparking fears over the condition of the economy.
China is the world’s largest copper consumer, accounting for almost 40% of world consumption last year.