By Asha Sistla
(Reuters) – Gold fell more than 1% on Friday after a rebound in U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar index sent the metal back towards 9-month lows hit earlier in the week, clouding optimism the U.S. stimulus bill would send prices up.
Spot gold was down 1.2% at $1,700.80 per ounce by 0943 GMT. The metal had slumped to a nine-month low of $1,676.10 on Monday. U.S. gold futures fell 1.3% to $1,700.90.
“A reversal in both the dollar and U.S. yields has taken the shine off gold notwithstanding the agreement on the stimulus bill, and even expectations of further fiscal stimulus as well. Those things haven’t really assisted gold,” said Ross Norman, an independent analyst.
Benchmark U.S. Treasury yields rose back towards a more than one-year peak hit on March 5, increasing the opportunity cost of holding gold, while the dollar rebounded from a near one-week low.
President Joe Biden on Thursday signed his $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law and said he was working to speed COVID-19 vaccinations and move the country closer to normality by July 4.
Investors are now awaiting the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting next week for direction on its monetary policy.
“The implementation of Biden’s pandemic relief bills is stoking fears of a massive supply of bonds hitting the market, as well as rising inflation,” ANZ analysts said in a note.
“The continued rollout of vaccines is also supporting the labour market, thus diminishing support for safe-haven assets.”
Silver slipped 2.4% to $25.45 an ounce, but was on track for its biggest weekly rise since mid-February, with a 1.1% gain. Palladium fell 0.5% to $2,332.18.
Platinum shed 1.9% to $1,172.40, but was set to post its largest weekly increase in four weeks, up 3.6%.
(Reporting by Asha Sistla and Sumita Layek in Bengaluru; Editing by Jan Harvey)