By Diptendu Lahiri
(Reuters) – Gold prices eased on Monday as U.S. Treasury yields rose and global stocks gained after better-than-expected jobs data in the United States fuelled optimism over a swift economic recovery.
Spot gold fell 0.3% to $1,724.32 per ounce, as of 0408 GMT. Gold futures were flat at $1,762.00 per ounce.
“Strong payroll data has boosted the dollar and the yields, which is weighing on gold prices. I think gold’s primary trend is bearish,” said DailyFX strategist Margaret Yang.
“Global economic growth is definitely taking a positive turn, however, it is uneven. Growth in the U.S. is particularly strong, but parts of EU is having a challenging time with the third wave of virus.”
The U.S. economy created the most jobs in seven months in March as more Americans got vaccinated and the government doled out additional pandemic relief money.
That lifted global stock prices to a more than one-month high on Monday, while benchmark U.S. Treasury yields held near a 14-month peak.
The dollar, however, was steady against its rivals ahead of U.S. services sector data.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden’s announcement of a long-awaited $2 trillion-plus job plan last week has raised some concerns over inflation.
Some investors view gold as a hedge against inflation, but higher Treasury yields, which translate into a higher opportunity cost for holding bullion, have challenged that status.
“It is becoming clear to me that gold’s sensitivity is not to future inflation expectations, but rather, to moves in U.S. bond yields, notably the 10-year tenor,” said OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley in a note.
Elsewhere, silver fell 0.5% to $24.84 per ounce and palladium was steady at $2,665.31 .
Platinum climbed 0.2% to $1,212.08 per ounce after hitting its highest since March 18 in the session at $1,218.
(Reporting by Diptendu Lahiri and Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Amy Caren Daniel)
