Palladium catches a breath after record rally on Ukraine crisis

Ingots of 99.98% and 99.97% pure palladium are seen at the Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia November 22, 2018. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

March 7 (Reuters) – Palladium eased off a record high on Monday after Russian and Ukrainian officials held a third round of ceasefire talks, prompting some investors to lock in profits from a blistering rally.

Safe-haven gold dipped for a brief period too, before resuming its advance.

Spot palladium was down 2.5% at $2,926.49 per ounce by 10:13 a.m. EST (1513 GMT). Prices have fallen more than $500 since scaling an all-time of $3,440.76 around 0836 GMT.

Western nations have piled sanctions on Moscow. Russia accounts for 40% of global production of palladium, used by automakers in catalytic converters to curb emissions. read more

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine have started a third round of talks in Belarus, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, the 12th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“(Given) the fact that they’re talking right now after a lot of ratcheting up of rhetoric over the weekend and a deteriorating situation in Ukraine, traders are kind of pausing for a moment here and looking to book profits,” RJO Futures senior market strategist Bob Haberkorn said.

Spot gold gained 0.5% to $1,978.26 per ounce, after earlier scaling its highest since Aug. 19, 2020 at $2,002.31.

U.S. gold futures rose 0.9% to $1,984.50.

“The severity of the war in Ukraine and the uncertainty around its future trajectory have fuelled broad-based gold buying from safe-haven seekers, pushing prices towards $2,000 per ounce,” Julius Baer analyst Carsten Menke wrote in a note.

“A further escalation would likely lift prices further. The latter would likely have a more lasting impact, as it could push the world economy towards a stagflation scenario, which we see as very bullish for gold.”

Bullion is considered a safe store of value during such uncertainties and also a hedge against rising inflation.

Silver eased 0.3% to $25.60 per ounce, while platinum was up 1% to $1,132.14.

Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri

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