As the summer doldrums drag on, precious metals bulls are eying potential support levels for a seasonal bottom. The gold market found support at the $1,750 level last month and has since been trading with a slight upside bias. Although the price action hasn’t been especially exciting, base building in these summer months can be a healthy technical process in the context of a larger bull market. Meanwhile, investors are weighing troubling developments on the inflation front. Price increases are hitting consumers every time they shop, and that trend shows no signs of letting up. Appliance makers including Whirlpool are announcing price increases of as much as 12% as a result of higher labor and material costs.