Bullion traded
around $2 635 an ounce in early Asia hours on Monday 2 Dec declining almost 3%
last week. Trump’s warning buoyed the dollar, with a stronger greenback making
the precious metal more expensive for buyers in other currencies.
Gold’s losses last week were driven by
reduced haven appetite following a US-brokered cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah that
came into effect mid-week. Still, fears
about an escalation in Russia’s war on Ukraine continue to support demand for
safe assets such as gold.
Markets are preparing for US nonfarm payrolls figures
later this week, which may influence the Federal Reserve’s rates decision on
December 18. Lower borrowing costs typically benefit gold, as it doesn’t pay interest.
The precious metal is up about 30% so far this year, with
gains supported by the US Fed’s monetary easing cycle, central-bank purchases
and heightened geopolitical and economic risks. Some analysts expect fresh
records in 2025, with Goldman Sachs Group and UBS Group AG both issuing bullish
outlooks last month.
Spot gold was down 0.4% to $2 632.11 an ounce as of 9:13 a.m. in
Singapore. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was up 0.3%. Silver, platinum and palladium all declined.