Gold prices edged lower in Asian trade on Tuesday as uncertainty over U.S. interest‑rate policy persisted ahead of the Federal Reserve’s June meeting minutes. Spot gold declined 0.6% to $4,140.88 per ounce and gold futures slipped 0.3% to $4,153.19 per ounce by 21:10 ET (01:10 GMT). Silver fell 1.3% to $61.2555 per ounce and platinum dropped 0.5% to $1,627.02 per ounce. The market focus remained on the Fed minutes, which are expected to provide further guidance on the central bank’s interest‑rate trajectory, and on the tone of communications under new Chair Kevin Warsh, who has advocated tapering the Fed’s messaging. Warsh reiterated the Fed’s commitment to a 2 % annual inflation target, keeping investors wary of any tightening. Earlier, softer‑than‑expected payroll data had helped gold rebound from its year‑low, and the U.S. dollar retreated from a 13‑month high, but the dollar stayed relatively strong as a vessel incident in the Strait of Hormuz revived concerns about energy‑market disruptions and their inflationary impact. These developments together pressured precious‑metal prices despite the recent recovery.