Gold on Wednesday backed away from an over 5-week high touched in the previous session as concerns about a trade war between the United States and China eased, which supported the dollar and reduced the incentive to hold bullion as a safe-haven asset. Spot gold was down 0.4 percent at $1,339.46 per ounce at 0723 GMT. Prices dropped 0.7 percent on Tuesday, its biggest percentage loss since March 15, after rising to over 5-week highs.
US gold futures for April delivery were down 0.1 percent to $1,341.10 per ounce. "The gold price is mainly driven by the US dollar ... The risk of trade war is shrinking, which is good for the US dollar," said Ji Ming, chief analyst, Shandong Gold Group. "Any sort of an announcement that negotiations are being formalized and/or are being taken seriously by both sides (US-China), could provide strength to the greenback and alternatively weigh on precious metals instead," INTL FCStone analyst Edward Meir said in a note.
A firmer dollar makes gold, which is seen as a safe investment in times of political and financial uncertainty, more expensive for holders of other currencies. Holdings of the SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.14 percent to 846.12 tonnes on Tuesday from 847.30 tonnes on Monday.
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