Sri Lanka, Sept. 30 -- Gold edged higher to a fresh record as the prospect of a looming US government shutdown clouded the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path ahead of next month's interest-rate decision.

Bullion briefly touched an all-time high of $3,839.52 an ounce on Tuesday. Gold rallied in the previous session as a meeting between top congressional leaders and US President Donald Trump ended without a deal on short-term funding. That's fanned fears of a shutdown, which could hinder the release of economic reports - depriving investors of crucial data needed to assess the US economy.

Gold has soared more than 45% this year, setting successive peaks on central-bank demand and a resumption of interest-rate cuts by the Fed. Prices a...