Gold prices held steady on Tuesday as market participants awaited fresh cues from top central banks on their monetary policy plans, especially from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
FUNDAMENTALS
Spot gold was unchanged at $1,982.58 per ounce by 0012 GMT. U.S. gold futures fell 0.1% to $1,990.80.
The Federal Reserve, which meets on May 2-3, is widely expected to raise interest rates by 25 basis points.
While gold is known as an inflation hedge, rising rates tend to lower demand for zero-yielding asset.
Bullion prices slipped in the previous session as the dollar rose after better-than-expected U.S. manufacturing data.
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said on Monday that its manufacturing PMI rose to 47.1 last month from 46.3 in March, which was the lowest reading since May 2020.
The European Central Bank (ECB) is widely expected to raise rates for the seventh straight meeting on Thursday.
Regulators seized First Republic Bank and sold its assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co on Monday, in a deal to resolve the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis and draw a line under a lingering banking turmoil.
Spot silver was flat at $24.97 per ounce, platinum rose 0.2% to $1,051.33 and palladium edged 0.2% higher to $1,454.06.