Gold steadies in Asia

Spot gold held steady on Tuesday as investors watched moves in the currency market while waiting for a vote by Greece's parliament later this week on an unpopular austerity plan needed to avoid a sovereign debt default. Spot gold barely changed at $1,496.71 an ounce by 0611 GMT, off a five-week low of $1,490.30 in the previous session. US gold was little changed at $1,497.70.
Spot silver edged up 0.2 percent to $33.59 an ounce, rebounding from a near six-week low of $33.37 reached in the previous session. US silver also gained 0.2 percent to $33.65. Silver remained the best-performing precious metal, up 9 percent so far this year. Gold gained 5.4 percent, and palladium was the worst performer with a 9-percent decline.