Gold up from 3-month lows as U.S. bond yields weaken

Sales persons wait for customers at a gold jewelry showroom in Chandigarh, India, November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Ajay Verma

May 16 (Reuters) – Gold edged up on Monday from a more than three-month trough hit in the previous session, as lower U.S. Treasury yields kept demand for zero-yield bullion afloat above the key psychological support level of around $1,800 per ounce.

Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,812.15 per ounce, as of 0227 GMT. U.S. gold futures gained 0.1% to $1,809.80.

“With $1,800 being such a big round number, it’s natural for it to provide some level of support as some (traders) try to be brave and buy a dip, whilst others close out profitable shorts,” City Index’s senior market analyst Matt Simpson said.

Marking their fourth straight weekly decline, gold prices fell more than 1% on Friday to the lowest since Feb. 4 at $1,798.86 per ounce, before closing at $1,811.15.

“But it’s not looking great for gold bugs right now. Even if we do see a bounce from $1,800, the momentum clearly favours a further downside,” Simpson said.

The dollar started the week just off a 20-year high against peers, as investors sought safety due to fears about global growth, and continued to make rival safe-haven gold less attractive for buyers holding other currencies.

However, benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields fell, buoying demand for non-interest bearing gold.

Inflation will need to move lower for “several months” before Federal Reserve officials can safely conclude it has peaked, Cleveland Fed president Loretta Mester said Friday, adding she would be ready to consider faster rates hike by the September Fed meeting if the data do not show improvement. read more

Although seen as an inflation hedge, bullion is sensitive to rising U.S. short-term interest rates and bond yields, which raise the opportunity cost of holding it.

Spot silver was down 0.1% at $21.06 per ounce, platinum was unchanged at $938.46, and palladium rose 0.3% to $1,949.88.

Reporting by Bharat Govind Gautam in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.