Gold inched up on Monday as investors awaited cues from the US Federal Reserve on its monetary policy outlook, while trying to size up the chances of a new round of US tariffs on Chinese goods.
Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1,462.10 per ounce by 0740 GMT. US gold futures rose 0.1% to $1,466.50.
The US Fed will meet on Dec.10-12 for an interest rate decision. Last week's booming jobs report was likely to give the central bank all it needs to stick to its plan not to cut rates further in the near future.
Gold has gained about 14% this year after the Fed cut rates three times this year on the backdrop of a long-drawn trade war and its impact on economy.
"Markets are waiting to size up what happens. They're waiting both for the Fed meeting and some sort of last minute (US-China) deal," said Ilya Spivak, a senior currency strategist at DailyFx.
Speculators upped their bullish positions in COMEX gold in the week to Dec. 3.
Holdings of the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund SPDR Gold Trust fell to their lowest since Sept. 19 on Friday.