New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- Inside the gold bazaars of Mumbai, Chennai, and Jaipur on Sunday morning, the conversations were already about Navratri. The nine-night festival begins September 22, and in India the first day of Navratri is among the most auspicious moments of the year to buy gold. This year, buyers arrived to find prices near their highest levels in weeks: 24-karat gold reached Rs.15,813 per gram in Delhi on September 21, 2026, lifted by a global rally after the United States Federal Reserve signalled it would hold interest rates through the fourth quarter.

The World Gold Council data shows gold has moved from a two-month consolidation range, finding support as expectations for further US rate increases fade. For Indian buyers, t...