Forex Pros – Gold futures edged higher on Wednesday, advancing for the first time in four days as a broadly weaker U.S. dollar and strong physical demand from Asia supported prices.&nbsp; <br /><br />On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for June delivery traded at USD1,495.15 a troy ounce during late Asian trade, climbing 0.75%.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />It earlier rose as much as 0.85% to a daily high of USD1,496.55 a troy ounce. <br /><br />The greenback came under pressure after disappointing data on U.S. housing starts and factory output on Tuesday underlined the view that the Federal Reserve would keep its loose monetary policy.<br /><br />Traders were also looking ahead to the release of the minutes of the Fed&rsquo;s most recent Open Market Committee meeting, in order to get more clarity on U.S. interest rate policy.<br /><br />The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.23% to hit 75.32. <br /><br />Dollar weakness usually benefits gold, as it boosts the metal’s appeal as an alternative asset and makes dollar-priced commodities cheaper for holders of other currencies.<br /><br />Meanwhile, strong physical demand from India supported prices as one of the major gold-buying festivals of Akshaya Tritiya began and India’s wedding season gathered pace. India is the world&rsquo;s largest gold consumer.<br /><br />Also supporting prices were ongoing concerns over Greece&rsquo;s debt after Head Euro Zone Finance Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said Tuesday that Greece could see a &ldquo;soft restructuring&rdquo; of its debt if Athens agreed to undertake major reforms and speed up plans to privatize state holdings.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />Elsewhere, silver for July delivery jumped 2.3% to trade at USD34.70 a troy ounce during late Asian trade, after rising by as much as 2.75% to a two-day high of USD34.87.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />

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