Gold lingers near US$1,500/oz on trade, recession concerns

[BENGALURU] Gold prices on Monday hovered around the US$1,500 per ounce level as the US-China trade conflict dragged on, while fears of a global economic slowdown increased.

Spot gold was steady at US$1,496.99 per ounce as of 0114 GMT.

US gold futures too were flat at US$1,508.50 an ounce.

Goldman Sachs on Sunday said recession risks were increasing due to the Sino-US trade war, and cut its forecast for fourth-quarter US growth.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said he was not ready to make a deal with China and even called a September round of trade talks into question.

Subsequently, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said that the US was still planning to hold another round of trade talks with Chinese negotiators.

Hedge funds and money managers raised their bullish stance in Comex gold in the week to Aug 6, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday.

Physical gold demand in Asian hubs last week was quiet due to surging prices.

The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was nearly unchanged.

REUTERS