Gold whipsaws as Fed is split on support for rate rise

New York

THE split among Federal Reserve officials on whether to boost US borrowing costs is whipsawing gold again.

Futures gained on Thursday, a day after the July Fed minutes were released showing policymakers are divided on rates, only to swing to a loss on Friday.

Comments from Fed Bank of San Francisco president John Williams after gold futures closed on Thursday revived the bearish sentiment on the precious metal, paring the week's gains.

The rally that sent gold to its best first half in almost four decades is slowing amid signs that the US economy is resilient enough to face an incr…