Gold near 8-week high on bets US rate hikes nearly over

July 19 (Reuters) – Gold prices on Wednesday were near eight-week highs reached in the previous session after economic data raised expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve is near the end of its interest rate hiking.

Spot gold eased 0.2% at $1,973.69 per ounce by 1200 GMT, slightly pressured as the U.S. dollar bounced back from 15-month lows. U.S. gold futures also fell 0.2% to $1,977.30 per ounce…[LINK]