© Reuters. Gold futures muted with U.S. jobs report, Fed rate hike outlook in focus Investing.com - Gold futures struggled for direction on Monday, as investors looked ahead to Friday’s U.S. jobs report for August, which could help to provide clarity on the likelihood of a near-term interest rate hike. Gold for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched down $2.00, or 0.18%, to trade at $1,132.00 a troy ounce during European morning hours. Gold lost 2% last week amid expectations the Federal Reserve will start raising interest rates at its next policy meeting in September. Comments by Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer on Friday suggested that the door was still open for a rate hike at the Fed's next meeting due to take place September 16-17. Fischer said that the case for a rate increase in September was "pretty strong", though it was still too soon to say what the central bank might do. The timing of a Fed rate hike has been a constant source of debate in the markets in recent months. The U.S... More