Sydney - Risk aversion boosted spot gold prices three per cent to a record USD1,032.35 a troy ounce Monday, following a record slump in the dollar against the euro and expectations of a substantial interest rate cut at Tuesday's Federal Reserve meeting. Gold moved up in USD10 steps in early Asia trading, capitalizing on the renewed concerns for the US financial system after the bailout and subsequent takeover of US investment bank Bear Stearns by JPMorgan. JPMorgan extended emergency funding to the troubled bank with short-term loans backed by the Federal Reserve Friday, and subsequently announced a takeover, paying USD2 per share, or six per cent of Bear Stearns share price as of Friday. The escalating credit crisis in the US that has now engulfed one of its major financial institutions is raising fears that it is moving to a more damaging phase at it spreads to previously stable parts of the financial system, said HSBC Analyst James Steel. If the solvency of Wall Street institutions, especially prime brokers such as Bear Stearns is called into question, a high degree of uncertainty is likely to persist globally, which would boost gold, Steel said. Given renewed momentum for fears of a US recession, market expectations of an interest rate cut at Tuesday's FOMC meeting are now honing in on a one per cent rate cut, up from previous expectations of 50 to 75 basis points. "Expectations of very low real, if not negative, interest rates have prompted heightened expectations of inflation risk, and that's most certainly helping gold," said Commonwealth of Australia Analyst David Moore. Aside from the Fed's rate decision, the market's focus this week will be on any further write-downs among US banks as a number of institutions report, including Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. "If an old institution (like Bear Stearns) is sold for USD2 a share, there's a feeling there's more bad news to come," said Jonathan Barratt, managing director at Commodity Broking Services. At 09.17 am IST, spot gold was at USD1,024.90/oz, up USD22.40 on the New York close, and racheting up other precious metals. Spot silver was just shy of hitting a new 27-year high, trading at USD21.10, up 43 cents, and platinum was up USD26 at USD2,103/oz.