Gold surges over 3% as US Treasury announcement hurts yields, dollar

Gold surged over 3 percent to its highest in over two-and-a-half months on Wednesday after a surprise liquidity support announcement by the U.S. Treasury knocked down bond yields and the dollar ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve's July meeting minutes.

Spot gold climbed 3.6 percent to $4,487.91 per ounce by 2:10 p.m. EDT (1810 GMT) after touching its highest level since June 4 at $4,499.20 earlier in the session.

U.S. gold futures settled 2.8 percenthigher at $4,545.30.

On the technical front, spot gold broke above its 100-day moving average of around $4,381. "This was totally unexpected.

Very bullish for gold due to lower yields on longer-dated Treasuries and as it may help to bring the dollar lower," said Robert Gottlieb, an industry expert and former head of precious metals at Koch Supply and Trading.

The U.S. dollar index fell 0.8 percent, making dollar-priced gold less expensive for holders of other currencies.

Yields on 30-year U.S. Treasuries fell sharply on Wednesday from around their highest level in 19 years after the U.S. Treasury Department said it would double the si