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Gold steady as uncertainties linger after US-China trade deal

Gold prices held steady on Thursday as investors remained concerned about existing tariffs and unresolved issues after Washington and Beijing signed a partial trade deal.

FUNDAMENTALS

Spot gold edged 0.1 per cent higher to $1,556.69 per ounce by 0140 GMT. US gold futures rose 0.2 per cent to $1,556.40.

In other precious metals, palladium rose 0.1 per cent to $2,264.65 an ounce after hitting a record peak of $2,284.00 earlier in the session, while platinum fell 0.2 per cent to $1,018.43, after hitting a near two year peak at $1,027.44 earlier.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed a deal on Wednesday, defusing an 18-month row between the world’s two largest economies.

However, the interim deal fails to address structural economic issues that led to the trade conflict, does not fully eliminate the tariffs that have slowed the global economy, and sets hard-to-achieve purchase targets, analysts said. nL1N29K0MV]

Gold prices had gained 18 per cent last year on the back of the trade war and its impact on global economy.

Adding to concerns, China’s pledge to buy US farm goods based on “market conditions” during the deal signing ceremony spurred doubts among farmers and commodity traders over Beijing’s lingering tariffs on US exports.

World stocks inched to a record high as the Phase 1 deal reduced uncertainties that beset financial markets.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to send two formal charges against Trump to the Senate.

US Federal Reserve expressed confidence that borrowing costs are at the right level to sustain growth and lift inflation to healthier levels, despite what businesses say is a lingering drag from uncertainty over US trade policy.

Mali’s industrial gold production rose 7 per cent in 2019 to a record 65.1 tonnes, mines ministry statistics showed on Wednesday.

Holdings of the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund SPDR Gold Trust rose 0.43 per cent to 878.32 tonnes on Wednesday.

Silver was flat at $17.99 per ounce.

Source: Economic Times