Gold schwankt um $1.800, unter Druck durch Dollarstärke

By Seher Dareen

Dec 30 (Reuters) – Gold prices fell for a third straight session on Thursday and the dollar rose, with the bullion trading around the $1,800 level as it heads for its worst annual performance in six years.

* At 0934 GMT, spot gold was down 0.2 percent at $1,799.54, while U.S. gold futures were losing 0.3 percent at $1,800.80.

* „The $1,800 level seems to be behaving more like a magnet for the market with good buying below that point and good selling above it,“ said independent analyst Ross Norman, adding that $1,814 is acting as technical resistance and $1,835 is „now the big number for the market.“

* „Gold is seeing some buying on the basis of new position taking and, on the other hand, it’s seeing some good selling on the basis of dollar strength in particular.“

* The dollar index was gaining 0.3%, recovering from the nearly one-month low it touched in the last session, while 10-year U.S. Treasury yields traded near a one-month high, raising the opportunity cost of owning gold, which does not yield interest.

* Gold prices have fallen about 5% in 2021, the most since 2015, as economies recovered from the impact of the pandemic, reducing demand for bullion as a safe-haven asset.

* Among other precious metals, silver was down 0.5% at $22.69 an ounce, platinum was down 0.2% at $965.73 and palladium lost 0.5% to $1,973.80, all heading for its worst performance in several years.