Gold retreats from near 2-year high, correction seen short-term

[BENGALURU] Gold gave up most of its gains on Tuesday after soaring to a near two-year peak in the previous session, with the market pulling back as it failed to break a key resistance level.

Spot gold was down 0.5 per cent at US$1,343.76 an ounce as of 0650 GMT. Bullion touched a peak of US$1,357.60 an ounce on Monday, less than US$1 below a two-year high hit on June 24.

US gold was up 0.6 per cent at US$1,346.30.

Technical charts show spot gold may retrace towards support at US$1,323 per ounce, as it failed to break resistance at US$1,351, said Wang Tao, a Reuters market analyst for commodities and energy technicals.

Silver fell more than 3 per cent at one point to US$19.548, before paring losses to trade 1.6 per cent lower at US$19.98 an ounce. It had jumped as much as 7 per cent, breaking above US$21 an ounce for the first time in two years, in the previous session.

"The precious metals had very strong upside momentum in the past few sessions after the Brexit referendum ... Some kind of pullback in the current market conditions seems justified," said Mark To, head of research at Hong Kong's Wing Fung Financial Group.

"It could be a very short-term correction."

HSBC on Tuesday raised its 2016, 2017 average gold price forecasts to US$1,275 per ounce and US$1,310 an ounce respectively.

"Investment demand is driving prices and reflects the uncertain macro backdrop, dovish outlook for US interest rates, and appeal of gold in a negative rate environment," HSBC analyst James Steel said in a note.

"But gold could weaken again if the global risk thermometer recedes while the US dollar remains strong and the euro weak."

Chinese commodities futures dropped on Tuesday after big gains in the prior session, as investors pared back expectations for rapid stimulus measures to spur economic activity in the world's biggest consumer of many raw materials.

Asian shares snapped a five-session winning streak on Tuesday as investors took stock of a rally driven by hopes that central banks will provide more stimulus to offset a likely downturn triggered by Brexit.

The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six rival currencies, remained steady at 95.61.

Among other precious metals, platinum fell 0.9 per cent to US$1,056.25 an ounce.

Palladium, which declined over 4 per cent earlier in the session, was last down 2.8 per cent at US$596.78.

REUTERS