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Gold futures on Tuesday rose sharply, with prices trading back above $1,700 an ounce, supported by a retreat in the dollar and a pullback in yields for government debt from one-year highs.
Gold for April delivery on Comex GC00, +2.36% GCJ21, +2.36% gained $36.40, or 2.2%, to reach $1,714.20 an ounce, after tumbling 1.2% to hit the lowest for the most-active contract since April 3 on Monday, FactSet data show.
On Tuesday, gold was staging a rebound as the 10-year Treasury note yield TMUBMUSD10Y, 1.535% added 5.5 basis points to 1.539%, after hovering around 1.60% on Monday. On top of that, the dollar was shedding 0.3% after trading near its highest level since Nov. 24 on a day ago, as measured by the ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.36%.
Lower bond yields and a weakening dollar can make commodities priced in the U.S. currency more attractive to buyers, compared against other assets.
Bullish bullion dealers say that gold may be finding some support at around $1,680 an ounce, as investors continue to seek out long-term inflation hedges, with expectations growing that fiscal spending and successful COVID vaccination rollouts will lead to a powerful rebound in the economy and inflation. Gold is viewed as a hedge against inflation.
The House is expected this week to provide final approval of a $1.9 trillion package of COVID relief spending, giving President Joe Biden an early political victory and stoking expectations for a surge in economic growth later in 2021.
Gold finds buyers near $1,680 an ounce, “but the appetite for inflation-hedges remain under the shadow of rising opportunity cost of holding gold due to the looming risk of a steep rise in sovereign yields with this week’s US inflation report, due Wednesday,” wrote Ipek Ozkardeskaya, analyst at Swissquote, in a daily research note.
On Wednesday, investors will be keenly watching a monthly update on inflation from the consumer-price index, which could influence gold trade.
Meanwhile, May silver SI00, +3.17% SIK21, +3.17% added 75 cents, or 3%, to trade at around $26.02 an ounce, after gold’s sister metal declined nearly 0.1% on Monday.
May copper HGK21, -2.14% lost 2.2% to $4.002 a pound. April platinum PLJ21, +1.90% traded at $1,174.30 an ounce, up 1.9%, while June palladium PAM21, -0.85% lost 1.3% to $2,283.50 an ounce.
