Gold gains as COVID-19 cases fuel stimulus expectations

Gold gained 1pc on Tuesday, driven by market expectations of additional monetary and fiscal stimulus as climbing COVID-19 cases prompted fresh global restrictions with focus also turning to the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting.

Spot gold was up 0.9pc to $1,844.10 per ounce by 1255 GMT, while U.S. gold futures rose 0.9pc to $1,848.70.

"It is pretty dire in Europe, Asia, South Korea, Japan and the U.S., driving some stimulus expectations and giving (gold) a bit of push," Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen said.

Investors look forward to policy meetings of the U.S. Fed starting on Tuesday and the Bank of England on Thursday.

"It is pre-FOMC positioning but we're seeing liquidity start to dry up and that means any changes in the flow of news and data can have an oversized impact as the market winds down ahead of Christmas and New Year."

Surging coronavirus cases prompted lockdowns in the Netherlands, Germany, London and New York, underlining the economic impact of the pandemic.

U.S. dollar held close to multi-year lows as investor hopes of a U.S. fiscal stimulus got a boost as President-elect Joe Biden won the Electoral College vote and U.S. lawmakers were positive about clinching a fiscal stimulus deal.

"Without a new aid package, the recovery of the U.S. economy is likely to falter. Market participants expect greater clarity regarding future bond purchases (from the Fed)," Commerzbank analyst Daniel Briesemann said in a note.

Silver jumped 1.8pc to $24.25 an ounce, platinum rose 1.4pc to $1,021.18 and palladium gained 1.7pc to $2,330.22.