NEW YORK: Gold firmed on Wednesday supported by lower Treasury yields but the dollar’s strength, with more interest rate hikes in the offing and optimism about a US debt deal kept bullion on course for its first monthly dip in three.

Spot gold was up 0.4% at $1,967.29 per ounce by 1209 EDT (1609 GMT) on weaker-than-expected Chicago purchasing managers’ index (PMI)data, before paring some gains on stronger US jobs data.

It has lost nearly 1.1% this month and over $100 from near-record highs scaled earlier in May. US gold futures rose 0.5% at $1,987.20.

Silver rose 1.3% to $23.52 per ounce, platinum fell 1.7% to $996.68, while palladium slipped 2.4% at $1,366.67. All three were set for a monthly drop. Russia’s Nornickel saw the global palladium market swinging to a surplus in 2024 from a deficit in 2023 as recycling outpaces a demand recovery.