Gold prices rose on Tuesday, supported by lower Treasury yields and a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, while investors awaited details on the status of U.S.-Iran peace talks amid conflicting news.
Spot gold rose 1.1% to $4,532.74 per ounce by 0731 GMT. U.S. gold futures for August delivery gained 1.3% to $4,562.90. Get the latest news from India and how it matters to the world with the Reuters India File newsletter. Sign up here. "It seems that because of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, we're seeing a bit of an uptick in terms of gold prices," said GoldSilver Central Managing Director Brian Lan, adding that lower Treasury yields were further supporting the metal.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note ticked lower, reducing the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion. Lebanon on Monday announced a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in what would amount to a limited de-escalation of a conflict that has killed thousands of people and inflamed the broader war with Iran. Earlier, Iranian state media said that Tehran was halting indirect negotiations with the U.S. and might end the ceasefire, while U.S. President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were ongoing "at a rapid pace." Investors are now awaiting the U.S. nonfarm payrolls and employment reports, both due later in the week, to assess resilience in the labour market amid mounting concerns about inflation due to the Middle East conflict.
Also in focus are remarks from Federal Reserve policymakers, including Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack and Fed Governor Michael Barr, to gauge the future monetary policy path.
"On the upside, the main barrier to break here seems to be right around $4,900. If (gold) confidently re-establishes a foothold of the $5,000 mark, then we'll know that gold is once again re-engaging with its longer-term dynamics," said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive. Among other metals, spot silver rose 2.4% to $76.57 per ounce, platinum gained 2.1% to $1,963.95 and palladium rose 1.9% to $1,387.50.
