Gold hovers near one-month low after China, U.S. agree on tariff roll-back

Friday,   08-Nov-2019   09:09 AM (IST)

Gold prices on Friday hovered near a one-month low hit in the previous session after China and the United States agreed to roll back tariffs as part of the first phase of a trade deal, stoking investors towards riskier assets. Spot gold XAU= was flat at 1,467.92 per ounce at 0107 GMT after falling to its lowest level in over a month on Thursday. U.S. gold futures GCv1 were up 0.2% at $1,469.60 per ounce. China and the United States have agreed to roll back tariffs on each others’ goods as part of the first phase of a trade deal, officials from both sides said on Thursday, offering a new sign of progress despite ongoing divisions about the months-long dispute.  However, the ‘phase one’ deal faced fierce internal opposition at the White House and from outside advisers over concerns whether rolling back tariffs will give away U.S. leverage in the negotiations, multiple sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. The trade war between the two economies has roiled financial markets and spurred fears of a global economic slowdown, pushing the yellow metal over 14% higher this year. MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe rose slightly to stand at 543.70, near record high of 550.63 touched in January 2018. In the bond markets, the benchmark 10-year note yields on Thursday rose to 1.973%, the highest since Aug. 1.  Giving some positivity to the economic scenario, the number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, consistent with strong labor market conditions and continued job growth. Meanwhile, the dollar index  stood at 98.136, also up 1% this week.