NEW DELHI: Gold prices dropped on Friday, thanks to the firm US dollar and higher treasury yields, which weighed on the demand for the safe-haven metal. The yellow metal is headed for the biggest weekly drop since May.

Gold futures on

were trading lower, easing about 0.10 per cent or Rs 52 to Rs 50,934 per 10 grams. Meanwhile, silver futures dropped close to 0.21 per cent or Rs 128 at Rs 61,399 per kg.

The dollar steadied near the previous session’s two-decade high, making greenback-priced bullion less attractive for buyers holding other currencies. Bullion is often seen as an inflation hedge, but the opportunity cost of holding it is higher when the Fed raises short-term interest rates, as gold yields no interest.

In the spot market, the highest purity gold was sold at Rs 50,614 per 10 grams while silver was priced at Rs 60,550 per kg on Thursday, according to the Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association.

The spot prices of gold have remained below the Rs 51,000 mark for the past three sessions, whereas Silver dropped about Rs 1,500 in the last two weeks.

Trading Strategy
“We expect gold prices to trade sideways to up for the day with COMEX Spot gold support at $1,820 and resistance at $1,870 per ounce. MCX Gold August futures support lies at Rs 50,600 and resistance at Rs 51,300 per 10 grams,” said Tapan Patel, Senior Analyst (Commodities),

Securities.

Global markets
Spot gold dropped 0.7 per cent to $1,844.25 per ounce. US gold futures dipped 0.2 per cent to $1,846.90. Gold prices have fallen about 1.5 per cent in what has been a volatile week.

Spot silver fell 0.6 per cent to $21.79 per ounce, platinum dipped 0.5 per cent to $945.50, while palladium rose 0.8 per cent to $1,893.87. All were headed for weekly declines.

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