Spot gold hit an all-time high on Wednesday, for the sixth time in two weeks, as worries grew whether the United States could avert a debt default while its two key political parties were still locked in stalemated talks to raise its debt ceiling. Spot gold rose as high as $1,625.24, before easing to $1,624.19 by 0709 GMT. It was up in 16 of this month's 19 trading sessions so far. US gold also hit an all-time high at $1,625.8.