SINGAPORE: Gold drifted lower on Monday after posting its biggest quarterly rise in more than two years, tracking a weaker euro as Spain's struggle to control its finances worried investors.
Caution has returned to the market after central banks' stimulus measures greatly cheered gold bugs and sent bullion up for four straight months. Investors are now seeking fresh catalysts amid the still-grim picture in the euro zone.
Spain's debt levels are set to rise next year, piling pressure on the government to apply for aid as it pours funds into cash-strapped regions, an ailing banking system and rising refinancing costs, its budget showed on Saturday.
The euro fell to its lowest in nearly three weeks on uncertainty over Spain's bailout plan, while the dollar index rose to its highest since mid-September, making dollar-priced gold less attractive to buyers holding other currencies.
"In the short term, the weaker euro/dollar does have an impact on gold prices," said Dominic Schnider, an analyst at UBS Wealth Management in Singapore.
"While structural change in Europe will take years, the short-term solution to the debt crisis is money-printing, which will support gold."
Dollar-priced gold closed last week barely changed, despite a 0.8-percent rise in the dollar index, showing bullion's resilience, he said.
Euro-priced gold hit a record high of 1,381.15 euros an ounce last Friday.
Spot gold inched down 0.4 percent to $1,764.19 an ounce by 0342 GMT, after finishing the last quarter up nearly 11 percent, its biggest quarterly rise since the second quarter of 2010.
US gold fell 0.4 percent to $1,767.20.
A few key markets in the region, including China and Hong Kong, are closed for public holidays. China will remain closed for the rest of the week.
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