Gold, seen as a hedge against inflation, has gained more than 23% this year, largely driven by a raft of stimulus measures unleashed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
The British government on Wednesday said huge swathes of England would be placed under its strictest COVID-19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country.
Britain and the European Union have moved closer to sealing a new trade deal but it was still unclear if they would succeed, the bloc's chief executive said on Wednesday.