Gold prices climbed to a fresh record high in Asian trading on Wednesday, marking a third straight session of record peaks, as expectations of imminent U.S. interest rate cuts and renewed U.S.-China trade tensions fueled strong safe-haven demand.

Spot gold last traded 1.1% higher at $4,186.84 per ounce as of 02:05 ET (06:05 GMT), after reaching an all-time high of $4,193.6/oz earlier in the day. U.S. December Gold Futures climbed 1% to $4,203.27.

The yellow metal has seen strong gains for the last eight consecutive weeks, and was set for yet another weekly jump if gains hold.

Fed easing bets, US-China tensions support bullion

The rally gathered pace after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered remarks on Tuesday that investors interpreted as dovish.

Powell said the U.S. economy may be on a firmer trajectory than some expected, but cautioned that a notably softer labor market is emerging. He added that there was “no risk-free path” for policy and emphasized that future decisions would be made “meeting by meeting.”

His comments reinforced market expectations for potential Fed rate cuts in both October and December, sending U.S. Treasury yields lower and weakening the dollar -- both supportive for non-yielding bullion.

Adding to the bullish momentum were escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China. President Donald Trump floated the idea of ending certain trade ties with China, specifically targeting cooking oil imports, in response to Beijing’s pullback on U.S. soybean purchases.

The two countries also imposed reciprocal port fees on ocean shipping firms this week, deepening their tariff standoff.

"Gold and silver are two of the best-performing commodities this year, with prices up by more than 55% and 80% YTD, respectively, supported by the Fed’s policy easing, the central bank’s purchases and geopolitical tensions, which have fuelled demand for safe-haven assets," ING analysts said in a recent note.

Metal markets rise; China inflation data in focus

Other precious and industrial metals also traded higher on Wednesday, supported by a weaker greenback.

Silver prices rose 1.4% to $52.12 per ounce, after hitting a record high of $53.6/oz in the previous session. Platinum Futures also climbed 1.4% to $1,687.20/oz.

Benchmark Copper Futures on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.7% to $10,667.50 a ton, while U.S. Copper Futures added 0.8% to $5.04 a pound.

Data on Wednesday showed that China’s consumer prices fell 0.3% in September from a year earlier, compared with a 0.4% decline in August, while producer prices fell 2.3% year-on-year, easing from a 2.9% drop the previous month.

The data signaled persistent deflationary pressures in the world’s second-largest economy, stoking hopes the government will dole out more supportive measures in the coming months