Gold edged higher on Tuesday, supported by a purchase of 25 tonnes of the precious metal by South Korea's central bank, while investors watched the outcome of a vote on the US debt deal. South Korea's central bank said it bought the gold between June and July to diversify its foreign reserves despite high prices, marking its first purchase in more than a decade and taking its total gold holdings to 39.4 tonnes.
Spot gold added 0.35 percent to $1,623.79 an ounce by 0623 GMT, off an intraday low of $1,607.69 on Monday. US gold inched up $4.5 to $1,626.2 an ounce.