Gold Holds Below $1,300 as Dollar Strength Assessed With Ukraine

                   Gold held below $1,300 an ounce as U.S. data that beat estimates strengthened the dollar, curbing demand for an alternative investment and countering haven bids from worsening tension between Ukraine and Russia.

Gold for immediate delivery traded at $1,290.22 an ounce at 11:05 a.m. in Singapore from $1,288.78 yesterday, when the metal rose and fell at least 0.4 percent before ending little changed, according to Bloomberg generic pricing. The dollar held near a nine-month high against the euro today.

Bullion ended a 12-year rally in 2013 on speculation the Federal Reserve would end monthly bond-buying used to fuel growth. Reports yesterday showed factory and service gains in the world’s largest economy, signaling that the recovery may be strengthening. Gold rebounded 7.2 percent this year, partly as unrest in Ukraine and the Middle East boosted haven demand.

Gold “is caught between an improving U.S. economy and tension in Ukraine,” said Huang Wei, a Shanghai-based analyst at Huatai Great Wall Futures Co. “We remain cautious as the Fed maintains its path to end asset purchases.”

Fed Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher said yesterday that fellow policy makers are becoming more hawkish. In June, Fed officials forecast they would raise the federal funds rate above zero sometime next year, without specifying a month.

Poland said yesterday a renewed buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border raises the specter of a possible invasion of its neighbor, as President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to prepare a response to U.S. and European sanctions.

Gold for December delivery advanced 0.5 percent to $1,291.50 an ounce on the Comex in New York. Holdings in the SPDR Gold Trust, the largest bullion-backed exchange-traded product, were unchanged at 800.05 metric tons yesterday.

Silver for immediate delivery rose as much as 0.4 percent to $19.8634 an ounce and traded at $19.8612. Earlier, the metal dropped to $19.74, the lowest level since June 18.

Spot platinum traded at $1,458.50 an ounce from $1,457.44 yesterday, when prices dropped for a second day. Palladium increased 0.3 percent to $848.23 an ounce, halting a four-day losing streak. - Bloomberg