The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that a Reuters poll shows analysts expect gold prices to hover near $1,950 an ounce in the coming months as central banks stop raising rates and investors buy bullion as a hedge against uncertainty (all figures U.S.). A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that gold hit a 13-month peak of $2,048.71 in April, just $24 shy of its record high, as bank failures spread fear through markets. Prices have since slipped to about $1,990 after central bankers made clear they had not finished their interest rate hikes. Gold is traditionally seen as a safe way to preserve wealth. However, Reuters says the non-yielding metal suffers when high interest rates raise returns on competing assets such as bonds and boost the U.S. dollar, making gold costlier for buyers with other currencies. The poll of 41 analysts and traders conducted in April returned median forecasts for gold to average $1,950 an ounce in the second quarter of 2023, $1,965 in the third and $2,000 next year. So far in 2023, gold has averaged about $1,915 an ounce, higher than the average in any previous full year. Three months ago, a Reuters poll predicted prices would average $1,852.50 in 2023.