Gold recovers from 9-month low as US yields retreat

Gold prices edged higher on Tuesday as a pullback in US Treasury yields added some lustre to the bullion after it hit a nine-month low in the previous session.

Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,686.86 per ounce by 0259 GMT. Prices had fallen more than 1% to $1,676.10 on Monday, their lowest since June 5.

US gold futures climbed 0.4% to $1,684.20.

"Dip buyers have emerged after the 1.15% fall overnight and US bond yields have slightly eased, which has provided support for precious metals," OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley said.

"Gold's short-term technicals have dipped into oversold territory which should provide some temporary support over the session, however gains are likely to be limited to the $1,700 region."

US 10-year Treasury yields edged lower, raising the appeal of holding gold.

A steady rise in bond yields makes holding gold less attractive as investors typically tend to gravitate toward assets that generate steady income in the form of interest or dividend.

"In an environment of rising US yields, growth recovery, vaccine rollouts, and investors getting more optimistic on growth prospects; demand for safe havens will struggle," said Lachlan Shaw, National Australia Bank's head of commodity research.

A clutch of stimulus measures across the globe to contain the economic fallout of the pandemic has fanned worries of a potential rise in inflation, helping bond yields.

While the US Federal Reserve has downplayed the rise in yields so far, the European Central Bank will discuss on Thursday the merits of intervening.

"Central banks will need to try and strike a balance between yields reflating in a reasonable fashion at a reasonable speed, compared to the recovery in economic activity, and so there may be tweaks along the way," Shaw said.

Holdings of the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust fell to their lowest since April 2020 on Monday.

Silver rose 0.6% to $25.23 an ounce. Palladium climbed 0.3% to $2,321.48. Platinum gained 0.8% to $1,144.63.