Holdings of SPDR Gold TrustGLD , the world's largestgold-backed exchange-traded fund, hit their highest since Juneon Tuesday and have remained there. "The current dip is due to a combination of a very sturdypayrolls report, despite the U.S. government shutdown, as wellas strong manufacturing data from the U.S., " said Tai Wong,head of base and precious metals derivatives trading at BMO. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said on Wednesday the case forrate increases had "weakened," with neither rising inflation norfinancial stability considered a risk, and "cross-currents"including slowing growth overseas and the recent partial U.S.government shutdown making the U.S. outlook less certain.