Gold nears two-month high as Russia-Ukraine tensions simmer – Reuters

Jan 24 (Reuters) – Gold prices advanced towards last week’s two-month high on Monday as U.S. bond yields continued to fall and investors looked to invest in the safe-haven metal amid concerns over the prospect of a Russian attack on Ukraine.

Spot gold was 0.3% higher at $1,838.10 per ounce by 1205 GMT, close to last week’s high of $1,847.72 an ounce. U.S. gold futures rose 0.4% to $1,838.60.

Investors are looking towards the U.S. Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting starting on Tuesday. The Fed is expected tighten monetary policy at a much faster pace than thought a month ago to tame persistently high inflation. read more

“I don’t expect (Fed) to have a significant impact on what gold prices are doing at this moment because the markets are more concerned about what’s going on in eastern Europe,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

“The markets have already priced in a March hike so I don’t think there’s going to be any surprise.”

NATO said it was putting forces on standby in eastern Europe in response to Russia’s military build-up at Ukraine’s borders. read more The move added to signals the West is bracing for an aggressive Russian move against Ukraine, though Moscow denied any plan to invade.

Rising U.S. interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding non-interest-bearing bullion. Benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields fell to a one-week low, helping gold.

The U.S. State Department has ordered diplomats’ family members to leave Ukraine, as U.S. President Joe Biden weighs options to counter a buildup of Russian troops in Ukraine. read more

Signs of poor risk appetite were displayed across markets as Asian and European shares slipped on worries over tighter monetary policy.

“Assuming that the current wave of risk aversion ebbs away eventually as the Fed addresses these fears, and barring a deterioration of the economic outlook, we thus believe that the gold and silver markets are again experiencing a temporary but no lasting rebound,” Julius Baer analyst Carsten Menke said.

Spot silver fell 0.7% to $24.06 an ounce and platinum slipped 0.6% to $1,023.52.

Palladium jumped 1.9% to $2,146.62, having hit its highest in more than two months.

Reporting by Seher Dareen and Swati Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Bernadette Baum

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