Investing.com - Gold was little changed in subdued trade on Tuesday, as market players looked ahead to the upcoming European Central Bank meeting as well as key U.S. employment data later in the week.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for April delivery ticked down $1.00, or 0.08%, to trade at $1,207.20 a troy ounce during U.S. morning hours.
Futures were likely to find support at $1,190.00, the low from February 24, and resistance at $1,223.00, the high from March 2.
Investors turned their attention to the upcoming European Central Bank meeting on Thursday, when it was expected to announce details of its quantitative easing program.
Traders also looked ahead to the release of the latest U.S. nonfarm payrolls report on Friday, for further indications on the strength of the recovery in the labor market.
Market analysts expect the data to show that the U.S. economy added 240,000 jobs in February, slowing from a gain of 257,000 in January, while the unemployment rate was forecast to decline to 5.6% from 5.7%.
A strong U.S. nonfarm payrolls report was likely to add to speculation over when the Federal Reserve will begin to raise interest rates, while a weak number could boost gold by undermining the argument for an early rate hike.
Expectations of higher borrowing rates going forward is considered bearish for gold, as the precious metal struggles to compete with yield-bearing assets when rates are on the rise.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was down 0.1% to 95.42 early on Tuesday, after hitting a one-month high of 95.55 on Monday.
On Monday, gold hit $1,223.00, the most since February 17, before ending at $1,208.20, down $4.90, or 0.4%, as upbeat U.S. economic reports boosted the dollar and sparked expectations for a rate hike in the near future.
Meanwhile, silver futures for May delivery dipped 5.6 cents, or 0.34%, to trade at $16.39 a troy ounce. On Monday, silver slumped 10.7 cents, or 0.65%, to close at $16.45.
Elsewhere on the Comex, copper for May delivery tumbled 4.5 cents, or 1.66%, to trade at $2.652 a pound as investor excitement over a weekend interest rate cut in China waned.
Prices touched a seven-week high of $2.716 on Monday after the People's Bank of China cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point in an effort to boost growth and stave off deflation in the world's second largest economy.
It was the second rate cut in less than four months, indicating that Beijing is becoming more aggressive in supporting the economy as its momentum slows and deflation risks rise.
The Asian nation is the world’s largest copper consumer, accounting for almost 40% of world consumption last year.