Gold prices edged higher on Thursday as investors largely discounted a US interest rate hike, but the gains were limited as the dollar rose following reports of a row in Italy's new government.

Spot gold was up 0.1 per cent at $1,195.61 an ounce as of 0815 GMT. On Wednesday, the metal touched its lowest since September 11 at $1,190.13 an ounce. Spot gold prices have closed in a range between $1,210 and $1,190 an ounce since August 28. US gold futures were up 0.1 per cent at $1,199.90 an ounce.

“The fact that the Fed didn't come out as overly hawkish meant there was some positivity felt through emerging market currencies. This may be playing in gold being gingerly bought,” said Stephen Innes, APAC trading head at OANDA in Singapore.

“We are still big sellers towards $1,200 an ounce and buyers towards $1,190 ... Bargain hunting is definitely coming to the equation at the lower end of the scale.”

MSCI's index for emerging market currencies edged up 0.2 per cent on Thursday. The Fed had raised interest rates for the third time this year on Wednesday, and left intact its plans to steadily tighten monetary policy, as it forecast that the US economy would enjoy at least three more years of growth.

“The Fed statement did not have much of an impact on the dollar and so we would venture to guess that the greenback could resume a little lower over the course of the next week or two, possibly giving gold an element of support,” INTL FCStone analyst Edward Meir said in a note.

However, there is little evidence that gold's tight trading range will change anytime soon, Meir added.

The dollar index gained against a basket of six major currencies, supported by a dip in the euro after Italian daily La Stampa said Economy Minister Giovanni Tria “was ready to leave”, before a spokeswoman for the ministry dismissed the report.

Earlier, the dollar stayed rangebound as boost from a well-anticipated US Federal Reserve interest rate hike faded and US Treasury yields eased, supporting gold. Gold is sensitive to higher interest rates because they boost the dollar, making bullion more expensive for buyers using other currencies.

“There has been some physical demand below $1,200, which is supporting gold,” said Peter Fung, head of dealing at Wing Fung Precious Metals in Hong Kong.

Among other precious metals, spot palladium rose 0.9 per cent to $1,075.98 an ounce, a fresh eight-month high. Silver climbed 0.8 per cent to $14.40 an ounce and platinum gained 0.9 per cent to $828.30 per ounce.

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