Gold stays steady even in the face of war

New York

IN times of trouble, gold has long been a popular haven for investors expecting that more volatility will increase the value of the commodity. But lately, it's taking more than threats of war or terrorist attacks to get much of a reaction from the bullion market.

Price swings for the precious metal narrowed last month to the smallest in more than a decade, even with rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, political discord in Europe, and trade disputes fuelled by Donald Trump's America-first policies.