London: Gold was little changed on Wednesday as demand for safe assets cooled on easing fears of imminent military action by Russia in Ukraine, and traders waited for a new series of US data for clues on the strength of the economy.

The United States and Russia will hold talks over Ukraine on Wednesday.

“If you have a stabilisation in Ukraine and US data start showing consistent signs of improvement, I think we could quickly go back below $1,300,” ABN Amro analyst Georgette Boele said.

Spot gold was down 0.1 per cent at $1,333.80 an ounce by 1047 GMT, after dropping 1.2 per cent on Tuesday. It hit its highest since October 30 at $1,354.80 on Monday after news of escalating tensions in Ukraine hurt stock markets.

Gold futures for April delivery fell $3.90 an ounce to $1,334.00.

In times of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, gold is seen as an alternative investment to assets perceived as riskier.

European stocks edged slightly lower, steadying after wild swings during the previous two sessions. The dollar was flat against a basket of currencies ahead of data on US private sector employment and service sector growth, which should help gauge the strength of economic recovery.

A US non-farm payrolls report on Friday should give investors a further opportunity to assess its potential implications for the Federal Reserve’s plan to unwind its stimulus programme.

Bullion has climbed 11 per cent in 2014 after last year’s 28-per cent price drop, as a spate of soft economic data from the United States and China drew investors back to the metal.

 

Physical weakness

Physical gold demand in Asia has dropped off after the Lunar New Year holiday as the price gains have put off buyers looking for bargains.

Premiums in China, the top buyer of gold, have fallen to less than $1 an ounce from over $20 in the beginning of the year due to lack of robust demand.

In India, the second biggest consumer, demand has been weak due to government curbs on gold imports.

India’s trade minister said on Tuesday he had raised the issue of easing some curbs on gold imports with the finance ministry, as they were encouraging smuggling and hurting exports of gems and jewellery.

Silver rose 0.4 per cent to $21.22 an ounce. Platinum was up 0.3 per cent at $1,460.00 an ounce and palladium gained 0.9 per cent to $766.25 an ounce.

South Africa’s Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union said it had revised its wage demands to the world’s top platinum producers, in its first major concession as a sector-wide strike rumbles into its sixth week. “While producers had stockpiled raw material ahead of the wage talks, they are dwindling given the ongoing strike,” HSBC said in a note.

“The possibility for the strike to be prolonged would be bullish for the platinum group metals.”