Gold set for worst quarter in over a decade as retail frenzy fades

Gold slipped below $3,943 per ounce, its lowest since November, as bets on higher interest rates and fading retail enthusiasm push the metal toward its worst quarter in more than a decade. After a January peak near $5,595, prices have been pressured by ETF outflows, a stronger dollar, and Chinese trading restrictions, though central-bank demand could provide a floor.