Gold Climbs as Traders Look Beyond Venezuela Risk to US Data

Group 1 - Gold steadied around $4,450 an ounce, following a 2.7% increase after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, with uncertainty over Venezuela's governance impacting market sentiment [1][3] - Silver has risen for three consecutive days, reaching $77.90 an ounce, with a notable increase of 3.6% on Tuesday [6][7] - The Federal Reserve's interest rate policy is under scrutiny, with Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari indicating rates may be near neutral, relying on upcoming economic data to guide decisions [2] Group 2 - Gold achieved its best annual performance since 1979, supported by central bank buying and inflows into bullion-backed ETFs, alongside three rate cuts by the Fed [4] - Leading banks, including Goldman Sachs, forecast further gains for gold, predicting a potential rally to $4,900 an ounce due to expected additional rate reductions [5] - Concerns exist regarding a rebalancing of commodity indexes that may pressure gold and silver prices, as passive tracking funds may need to adjust their holdings [6]