Gold futures climbed Wednesday for a third session in a row, settling at their highest since early August. The Federal Reserve is expected to keep a data-driven approach when it takes its next decisions on interest rates, and inflation and labor data will be the “most relevant data points to keep track of for the U.S. central bank,” said Carlo Alberto De Casa, external market analyst at Kinesis Money. Monthly U.S. jobs data will be released Friday. In the meantime, gold has been holding its ground above $1,900, a signal of strength for the precious metal, “especially in the challenging context” of a more hawkish Fed last week at the Jackson Hole, Wyo. summit, he said. December gold
GCZ23,
rose $7.90, or 0.4%, to settle at $1,973 an ounce on Comex, the highest finish for a most-active contract since Aug. 4, according to Dow Jones Market Data.