SummarySummary Companies Gold slips below $2,000/ozMarch U.S. payrolls rise by 236,00066% chance seen of Fed rate hike in May- CME Fedwatch ToolApril 10 (Reuters) - Gold prices fell about 1% to slip below $2,000 on Monday, after U.S. employment data pointed to a tight labour market and raised expectations of another rate hike by the Federal Reserve in May.
Friday's data from the U.S. Labor Department showed non-farm payrolls increased by 236,000 jobs in March, versus expectations of 239,000.
The data also showed the unemployment rate dipped to 3.5% from 3.6% in the prior month.
The report raised bets that the U.S. central bank would increase rates next month, with markets pricing in a 66% chance of a 25 basis-point (bps) rate hike, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
Gold is traditionally considered a hedge against inflation, but higher rates increase the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset.