Newmont and Barrick Gold, the top two gold miners in the world, are expected to post higher quarterly profits, powered by a rally in the precious metal's prices.

Rising hopes of a US interest rate cut in September, uncertainty around US elections and global geopolitical risks have boosted bullion's safe-haven appeal, pushing it to a record-high level.

"We are expecting a very strong second quarter, given the significant increase in the gold price and relatively flat cost expectations," analysts at brokerage TD Cowen said.

During the April-June quarter, spot gold averaged $2 335.87 an ounce, 18% higher than the same period last year.

NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index, which tracks the gold mining industry, has risen about 20% so far, versus a 16.5% rise in the benchmark S&P 500.

As commodity prices remained strong, the market would be watching for mining companies to demonstrate stability in production and costs in the quarter and discipline and rationality in their growth plans, BMO Capital Markets analyst Jackie Przybylowski said.

SECOND-HALF BOOST

Barrick, in its quarterly production snapshot last week, said it expects its gold and copper output to progressively increase each quarter through the year with a higher weighting in the second half.

It cited the ramp-up of the Pueblo Viejo project expansion in Dominican Republic and improvements at Nevada Gold Mines for the outlook.

With costs holding steady, Barrick's second-quarter margins were set to benefit from an increase of about $250 an ounce in gold prices sequentially, and a meaningful operational improvement was anticipated in the third quarter, said analysts at Jefferies.

Newmont was traditionally weighted to second-half owing to weather impacts, Przybylowski said.

The top miner is expected to report 1.56-million ounces gold production for the second quarter, nearly 26% higher than last year, according to LSEG data.

Newmont is expected to report quarterly results on Wednesday, while rival Barrick Gold is scheduled for August 12.