Gold steadies in thin trade at $4,980.60 per ounce

Gold prices were flat in thin trading on Thursday after rising more than 2% a day earlier, as investors waited for key U.S. inflation data that could influence the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy path.

Spot gold was steady at $4,980.60 per ounce by 0454 GMT. U.S. gold futures for April delivery were down 0.2% at $4,999.70.

“Gold is in a consolidation mood, reflective of thin liquidity conditions during the Asia holiday period rather than a shift in fundamentals,” said Christopher Wong, a strategist at OCBC.

The U.S. dollar held steady at a more than one-week high, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for other currency holders.

Spot silver rose 0.7% to $77.71 per ounce after rising more than 5% on Wednesday.

Spot platinum edged 0.2% lower to $2,066.90 per ounce, while palladium shed 0.4% to $1,709.53.

Reuters