Gold prices rebounded back above $1,700 an ounce on Thursday, as buyers returned after the European Central Bank left rates unchanged as expected, yet uncertainty prevailed over talks to avert a U.S. fiscal crisis.
Confidence in gold has ebbed this month after it failed to push above $1,730 in November. A weak technical picture helped push prices to a one-month low on Wednesday, taking them below their 100-day moving average for the first time since August.
"There is a preference for riskier assets and interest-bearing assets. We've seen a better tone to equity markets. Gold is on the flip side of this move," Andrew Cole, fund manager with Baring Asset Management, said.
Spot gold rebounded above $1,700 an ounce, up 0.4 percent, while U.S. gold futures reversed early losses to trade up nearly 0.6 percent an ounce above $1,703 per ounce.
The euro was little changed against the dollar on Thursday after the European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold at 0.75 percent as expected by most market players.
Buyers are awaiting direction from non-farm payrolls data on Friday, and next week's Federal Reserve policy meeting, as well as clearer signals on how the United States will deal with negotiations over its upcoming "fiscal cliff." That refers to the possibility that a $600 billion package of tax hikes and spending cuts due to kick in in the New Year could push the world's biggest economy back into recession.
"We have the ECB decision today, with some (talk) of Spain applying now for financial help, and furthermore we have the Fed decision," LGT Capital analyst Bayram Dincer said. "Also, some people are positioning for year-end, profit taking. All of this is adding to negative sentiment in the gold market."
The ECB is wary of taking any action that could see the euro zone's governments soft-pedal budget-consolidation efforts. That puts the onus on Spain to ask for a full bailout before the ECB can intervene and buy Spanish sovereign debt.
Confidence in gold has ebbed this month after it failed to push above $1,730 in November. A weak technical picture helped push prices to a one-month low on Wednesday, taking them below their 100-day moving average for the first time since August.
"There is a preference for riskier assets and interest-bearing assets. We've seen a better tone to equity markets. Gold is on the flip side of this move," Andrew Cole, fund manager with Baring Asset Management, said.
Spot gold rebounded above $1,700 an ounce, up 0.4 percent, while U.S. gold futures reversed early losses to trade up nearly 0.6 percent an ounce above $1,703 per ounce.
The euro was little changed against the dollar on Thursday after the European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold at 0.75 percent as expected by most market players.
Buyers are awaiting direction from non-farm payrolls data on Friday, and next week's Federal Reserve policy meeting, as well as clearer signals on how the United States will deal with negotiations over its upcoming "fiscal cliff." That refers to the possibility that a $600 billion package of tax hikes and spending cuts due to kick in in the New Year could push the world's biggest economy back into recession.
"We have the ECB decision today, with some (talk) of Spain applying now for financial help, and furthermore we have the Fed decision," LGT Capital analyst Bayram Dincer said. "Also, some people are positioning for year-end, profit taking. All of this is adding to negative sentiment in the gold market."
The ECB is wary of taking any action that could see the euro zone's governments soft-pedal budget-consolidation efforts. That puts the onus on Spain to ask for a full bailout before the ECB can intervene and buy Spanish sovereign debt.
Euro-Priced Gold Slips
Gold priced in euros slipped into oversold territory after falling nearly 2 percent this week, posting its biggest one-day decline in six months on Wednesday and touching its lowest since mid-July at 1,288.85 euros an ounce.
Its 14-day relative strength index stood at 28.9 on Thursday, with any reading less than 30 considered to signal oversold conditions.
Investors' appetite for physical gold and physically backed investment products remained sharp, with holdings of the largest gold exchange-traded fund, New York's SPDR Gold Trust, at a record high.
Demand in India, historically the world's biggest buyer of gold, was also firm as prices fell to their lowest in a month, weighed by a stronger rupee and a decline in spot prices.
"Buying is on, as people feel prices are good," Haresh Acharya, head of the bullion desk at Gujarat-based Parker Bullion, said. "Wedding demand is expected to continue for another couple of months."
From a chart perspective, further losses in gold could take prices down to support at its November low at $1,672.50 an ounce, and its 200-day moving average at $1,660.
Among other precious metals, silver was up 0.7 percent above $33 an ounce.
Silver has lost some ground to gold so far this month, with the gold/silver ratio, which measures the number of silver ounces needed to buy an ounce of gold, edging further from last week's near eight-month low at 50.42 to 51.6 on Thursday.
Spot platinum advanced more than a percent near $1,592 an ounce, while spot palladium also jumped by more than a percent to change hands near $691 an ounce
Its 14-day relative strength index stood at 28.9 on Thursday, with any reading less than 30 considered to signal oversold conditions.
Investors' appetite for physical gold and physically backed investment products remained sharp, with holdings of the largest gold exchange-traded fund, New York's SPDR Gold Trust, at a record high.
Demand in India, historically the world's biggest buyer of gold, was also firm as prices fell to their lowest in a month, weighed by a stronger rupee and a decline in spot prices.
"Buying is on, as people feel prices are good," Haresh Acharya, head of the bullion desk at Gujarat-based Parker Bullion, said. "Wedding demand is expected to continue for another couple of months."
From a chart perspective, further losses in gold could take prices down to support at its November low at $1,672.50 an ounce, and its 200-day moving average at $1,660.
Among other precious metals, silver was up 0.7 percent above $33 an ounce.
Silver has lost some ground to gold so far this month, with the gold/silver ratio, which measures the number of silver ounces needed to buy an ounce of gold, edging further from last week's near eight-month low at 50.42 to 51.6 on Thursday.
Spot platinum advanced more than a percent near $1,592 an ounce, while spot palladium also jumped by more than a percent to change hands near $691 an ounce
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