Glittering haven: Gold of various weights and sizes sit at Gold Investments Ltd bullion dealers in London. — Bloomberg
BENGALURU: Gold eased on Monday as a towering U.S. dollar pressured demand for greenback-priced bullion and kept it pinned near nine-month lows seen last week.
Spot gold dipped 0.3% to $1,737.29 per ounce by 0742 GMT. U.S. gold futures also fell 0.3% to $1,736.40.
The dollar rose about 0.4% and was within touching distance of Friday's 20-year peak, keeping overseas buyers away from gold.
"While gold prices remain below $1,753/oz it seems a move down to $1,720 is on the cards. Although there is some support around $1,730 ... given the bearish trend overall, any upside is likely to be a retracement, at best," said Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index.
Bullion marked a fourth straight weekly loss on Friday, having hit its lowest since late-September a few sessions prior, hurt by the dollar's ascent and bets for steep interest rate hikes gaining traction after healthy U.S. jobs data.
"Gold has had a large move lower, and there comes a point where the market needs to pause for breath. And that's what we are seeing on gold right now," Simpson said.
Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic, until recently among the U.S. central bank's most dovish policymakers, on Friday said he "fully" supports another three quarters of a percentage point interest rate rise at the Fed's next policy meeting later this month.
Higher interest rates and bond yields increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion. Benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields pulled back from the previous session's over one-week high, likely limiting losses in gold.
Meanwhile, shares slid on Monday as investors braced for a U.S. inflation report that could force another super-sized hike in interest rates.
Spot silver fell 0.7% to $19.17 per ounce, and platinum slipped 1.6% to $883.13.
Palladium dropped 1.9% to $2,141.83, after rising nearly 10% on Friday. - Reuters
