Gold trades near record highs on US rate cut bets; silver at 14-year high

By Ishaan Arora and Brijesh Patel (Reuters) - Gold hit a more than four-month high on Monday to trade around $30 shy of all-time highs, buoyed by U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut bets and a softer dollar, while silver breached $40 per ounce for the first time since 2011. Spot gold was up 0.7% at $3,469.84 per ounce by 1049 GMT, its highest since April 22 when it touched a record-high of $3,500.05.