Gold inches up on weaker greenback, investors’ inflation outlook

SPOT GOLD prices edged up on Monday on a weaker US dollar and as investors looked to hedge against inflation.

Spot gold had risen about 0.20% to $1,350.28 an ounce by 0324 GMT.

The metal rose 2.4% last week in its best weekly gain since the week ended Sept. 1.

US gold futures slipped 0.20% to $1,353.10 per ounce.

The dollar recovered some ground on Friday, pushing down gold from a three-week peak of $1,361.76.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, fell 0.10% to 89.023 on Monday.

“A couple of hours of dollar short-covering is unlikely to change the broader negativity,” said Stephen Innes, APAC trading head at Oanda.

“When coupled with inflationary concerns heightening and a probable follow- up correction in equities markets around the corner, gold’s safe-haven demand should continue to glitter.”

The US currency has been weighed down by a variety of factors this year, including concerns that Washington might pursue a weak dollar strategy and the perceived erosion of its yield advantage as other countries start to scale back easy monetary policy.

“The stronger-than-expected inflation in the US, a key driver for gold prices continued to provide some support,” ANZ analysts said in a research note.

“Reports on the weekend of charges being laid on several Russians regarding interference in the 2016 US election are certain to raise the political temperature in Washington, which should also see some safe-haven buying emerge.”

A 37-page indictment filed by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies for meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Russia denounced the allegations.

Meanwhile, hedge funds and money managers cut their net long positions in COMEX gold in the week to Feb. 13, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission data showed on Friday.

SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold- backed exchangetraded fund, said its holdings rose 0.39% to 824.54 tons on Friday from 821.30 tons on Thursday.

Physical gold was sold at a discount in India last week for the first time in three weeks as demand for the metal slumped due to a jump in local rates, while the Lunar New Year holiday capped buying at the end of the week elsewhere in Asia.

Among other precious metals, silver edged up by 0.20% to $ 16.69. Platinum was up by 0.70% at $ 1,004.50, while palladium rose by 0.30% to $ 1,047.10. —