Gold prices edged up on Monday, recouping some losses after a steep sell-off in the previous session as US bond yields and the dollar softened, restoring some of the precious metal's appeal.

FUNDAMENTALS

• Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1,770.26 per ounce by 202 GMT, after slipping 1.6% on Friday.

  • US gold futures were up 0.1% at $1,770.50.

Asia Gold: India returns to premium

• Benchmark US 10-year Treasury yields eased after rising to a high of 1.5904% on Monday, reducing non-yielding gold's opportunity cost.

  • Treasury yields rose sharply on Friday after data showed US retail sales unexpectedly rose in September which bolstered expectations for sooner-than-anticipated interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve.

• Also supporting bullion, the dollar index slipped 0.6% from last week's 2021 highs, as investors figure that while inflation might pull forward the Fed's rate hikes, other central banks may need to be more aggressive over the tightening cycle.

• Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey sent a fresh signal on Sunday that the British central bank is gearing up to raise interest rates as inflation risks mount.

  • Gold is often considered an inflation hedge, though reduced stimulus and interest rate hikes push government bond yields up, raising the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

  • Indicative of sentiment, SPDR Gold Trust GLD, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.3% to 980.1 tonnes on Friday from 982.72 tonnes on Thursday.

  • China's economy grew slower than expected in the third quarter, official data showed on Monday.

  • Spot silver rose 0.2% to $23.34 per ounce, while platinum eased 0.4% to $1,050.80 and palladium fell 0.7% to $2,059.18.