Metals

Gold up from 1-month lows but stronger dollar, yields check gains

Twenty kilogram gold and silver bricks sit at the ABC Refinery smelter in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Thursday, July 2, 2020.
David Gray | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Gold edged higher on Monday, with investors banking on the precious metal's safe-haven appeal as concerns about an economic slowdown linger, after a stronger dollar and higher Treasury yields nudged prices to a one-month low.

Spot gold was up 0.2% to $1,868.96 per ounce by 2:37 p.m. ET (1937 GMT). Earlier in the session, prices slipped to $1,860, their lowest since Jan. 6.

U.S. gold futures settled 0.2% higher at $1,879.50.

"Traders will look at gold as a safe-haven asset and buy into it," said Phillip Streible, chief market strategist at Blue Line Futures in Chicago.

Concerns over a slowdown remain and is likely to keep demand for gold on a firm footing this year, analysts said.

The dollar index advanced to an almost month-high, making gold more expensive for buyers holding other currencies.

Benchmark Treasury yields also firmed, likely keeping some investors away from bullion.

Gold prices dropped more than 2% on Friday after data showed U.S. job growth accelerated sharply last month, with focus on speeches by a host of Fed officials this week, including Chairman Jerome Powell.

The Fed last week increased interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.5%-4.75% after a year of larger hikes, and investors are now pricing in the policy rate peaking at 5.05% in June.

Gold benefits from low interest rates, which reduce the opportunity cost of holding the zero-yield asset.

Spot silver dropped 0.4% to $22.26 per ounce, and platinum slipped 0.2% to $971.70. Palladium was down 1.2% to $1,604.09 per ounce, after it fell more than 4% earlier to $1,556.53, its lowest since mid-December 2021.

"Among platinum group metals, supply disruptions in South Africa due to a deepening energy crisis should help to stabilize prices in the short term," ANZ wrote in a note.