Investing.com - Gold futures held steady in range bound trade on Wednesday, as market participants continued to monitor developments surrounding Spain’s debt crisis amid concerns the country will be the next euro zone member to seek an international bailout.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for June delivery traded at USD1,651.95 a troy ounce during early European trade, easing up 0.05%.
The June contract traded in a tight range between USD1,650.15, the daily low and a session high of USD1,655.25 a troy ounce.
Gold futures were likely to find support at USD1,613.55 a troy ounce, the low from April 4 and resistance at USD1,685.25, the high from April 2.
A Spanish short-term government bonds auction briefly reassured investors on Tuesday as the country raised the full targeted amount of EUR3 billion, although borrowing costs almost doubled.
But market sentiment looked set to remain fragile ahead of an auction of two and 10-year Spanish bonds on Thursday, which is being seen as a key test of market appetite for the country’s debt.
Bond auctions have become key drivers of risk sentiment in recent months, as traders attempt to gauge the ability of indebted euro zone nations to fund themselves.
There have been renewed concerns of further debt contagion in the euro zone in recent weeks amid fears Spain will be the next in the euro zone to require a bailout.
Although gold’s appeal as a safe haven is usually boosted during times of economic uncertainty, the euro zone’s debt crisis has done little to bolster appetite for the precious metal in recent months.
A weakening euro and stronger dollar have weighed on gold instead.
Gold's recent tight correlation with the euro leaves the precious metal vulnerable to a pull back should the euro zone’s debt crisis worsen as prices have been tracking movements in the euro in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, activity in key physical markets in Asia remained muted, even as one of India’s largest Hindu gold-buying festivals of Akshaya Tritiya was set to start next week. In addition, the wedding season has already started in some parts of India.
But Prithviraj Kothari, president of the Bombay Bullion Association, said gold purchases during the festival week will likely be no more than 10-15 metric tons, compared with 30-40 tons a year earlier because of high prices and a weak investment outlook.
Gold prices have been stuck in a narrow trading pattern in recent days, as investors search for the next catalyst to take prices higher.
Investors will closely watch a policy meeting at the Federal Reserve next week, seeking cues on the central bank's attitude towards monetary easing.
Expectations of monetary stimulus tend to benefit gold, as the metal is seen as a safe store of value and inflation hedge.
Elsewhere on the Comex, silver for May delivery eased up 0.1% to trade at USD31.70 a troy ounce, while copper for May delivery added 0.25% to trade at USD3.656 a pound.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for June delivery traded at USD1,651.95 a troy ounce during early European trade, easing up 0.05%.
The June contract traded in a tight range between USD1,650.15, the daily low and a session high of USD1,655.25 a troy ounce.
Gold futures were likely to find support at USD1,613.55 a troy ounce, the low from April 4 and resistance at USD1,685.25, the high from April 2.
A Spanish short-term government bonds auction briefly reassured investors on Tuesday as the country raised the full targeted amount of EUR3 billion, although borrowing costs almost doubled.
But market sentiment looked set to remain fragile ahead of an auction of two and 10-year Spanish bonds on Thursday, which is being seen as a key test of market appetite for the country’s debt.
Bond auctions have become key drivers of risk sentiment in recent months, as traders attempt to gauge the ability of indebted euro zone nations to fund themselves.
There have been renewed concerns of further debt contagion in the euro zone in recent weeks amid fears Spain will be the next in the euro zone to require a bailout.
Although gold’s appeal as a safe haven is usually boosted during times of economic uncertainty, the euro zone’s debt crisis has done little to bolster appetite for the precious metal in recent months.
A weakening euro and stronger dollar have weighed on gold instead.
Gold's recent tight correlation with the euro leaves the precious metal vulnerable to a pull back should the euro zone’s debt crisis worsen as prices have been tracking movements in the euro in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, activity in key physical markets in Asia remained muted, even as one of India’s largest Hindu gold-buying festivals of Akshaya Tritiya was set to start next week. In addition, the wedding season has already started in some parts of India.
But Prithviraj Kothari, president of the Bombay Bullion Association, said gold purchases during the festival week will likely be no more than 10-15 metric tons, compared with 30-40 tons a year earlier because of high prices and a weak investment outlook.
Gold prices have been stuck in a narrow trading pattern in recent days, as investors search for the next catalyst to take prices higher.
Investors will closely watch a policy meeting at the Federal Reserve next week, seeking cues on the central bank's attitude towards monetary easing.
Expectations of monetary stimulus tend to benefit gold, as the metal is seen as a safe store of value and inflation hedge.
Elsewhere on the Comex, silver for May delivery eased up 0.1% to trade at USD31.70 a troy ounce, while copper for May delivery added 0.25% to trade at USD3.656 a pound.