Gold rises on Trump uncertainty, Brexit concerns

[BENGALURU] Gold rose on Monday, buoyed by safe-haven demand due to uncertainty over US policy ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration and amid concerns over Britain's exit from the European Union.

Spot gold had risen 0.5 per cent to US$1,203.10 per ounce by 0243 GMT.

US gold futures were up 0.6 per cent at US$1,203.60 per ounce.

"Buying shows that people are looking ahead this week with Trump's inauguration and discussions on Brexit. There is a lot of uncertainty moving forward," said Brian Lan, managing director at Singapore-based gold dealer GoldSilver Central.

"On the physical side, people are expecting good demand from China ahead of the Chinese New Year," Mr Lan said. The Lunar New Year falls later this month "We expect gold to retest US$1,205-US$1207 again and breaching this might see US$1,220 as the next level."

Spot gold faces strong resistance at US$1,205-US$1,210 per ounce and it may hover below that or retrace towards support at US$1,172, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.

All eyes will be on Mr Trump's inauguration on Friday for any clarity on his economic plans, with investors often turning to gold as a so-called safe-haven in times of economic uncertainty.

Mr Trump's campaign calls for tax cuts and more infrastructure spending have boosted US shares and the US dollar, as well as driving a selloff in Treasuries, but his protectionist statements and a flurry of off-the-cuff tweets have kept many investors from adding to risky positions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday will call on Britons to reject the acrimony of the Brexit referendum in a speech that some newspapers have billed as setting the stage for a "hard" exit from the EU.

Investors have been enticed into gold this month as questions over Federal Reserve policy and the Trump administration drive a bigger than usual January bounce in a beaten-down market.

Hedge funds and money managers in the week to Jan 10 raised their net long position in Comex gold contracts for the first time in nine weeks, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed on Friday.

Inflation, industrial production and housing data dominate a holiday-shortened week in the United States. The reports are expected to show the economy ended 2016 with strong momentum.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen will have an opportunity to lay out her thinking with speeches on monetary policy on both Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Gold is highly sensitive to rising US interest rates, which increase the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset while boosting the US dollar, in which it is priced.

Spot silver rose 0.3 per cent to US$16.84 an ounce.

Platinum prices were firm at US$983.85, while palladium fell 0.4 per cent to US$746.47.

REUTERS