Gold prices steady __

Gold prices held steady on Tuesday as the US dollar remained near two-month highs, with markets caught between profit-taking and prospects for further rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, reports Reuters.
Spot gold was steady at $2,652.72 per ounce at 1108 GMT while US gold futures nudged up 0.1 per cent to $2,669.20.
"We've got a US dollar near two-month highs, higher Treasury yields and also the overwhelming temptation of profit taking as we go towards November after gold's nearly 30 per cent gain so far this year, so in short gold's got some pretty fierce headwinds at the moment," independent analyst Ross Norman said.
Gold prices hit a record high of $2,685.42 last month, but shed some of those gains as the dollar hovered near a more than two-month peak reached in the previous session, making bullion more expensive for other currency holders. "Further rate cuts I think will continue to support gold and we'll probably see a fresh all-time high this side of the year end," Norman said.
Currently traders see about an 87 per cent chance of a 25-basis-point cut in November, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Non-yielding gold thrives in a lower interest rate environment.
Fed Governor Christopher Waller called for "more caution" on rate cuts ahead but Fed Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said more rate reductions are likely as the Fed's 2 per cent inflation target looms in sight.
Spot silver eased 0.1 per cent to $31.14 per ounce. Platinum fell 1.2 per cent to $980.78 and palladium was down 1.8 per cent at $1,011.77.