Investing.com - Gold futures were steady on Tuesday, hovering near two-and-a-half week highs as traders remained cautious ahead of the release of U.S. trade balance data after a strong U.S. service sector report was published on Monday.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold for June delivery traded at $1,308.80 a troy ounce during European afternoon trade, down 0.04%.
The June contract settled 0.49% higher on Monday to end at $1,309.3 a troy ounce.
Gold futures were likely to find support at $1,285.10 a troy ounce, the low from April 30 and resistance at $1,326.90, the high from April 15.
The U.S. dollar found some support after the Institute of Supply Management on Monday said its non-manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to a five-month high of 55.2 in April, from a reading of 53.1 in March, compared to expectations for a rise to 54.1.
Gold prices had strengthened after clashes between Ukraine's army and pro-Russian forces broke out in six cities in eastern Ukraine over the weekend, sparking fears that the crisis will develop and drag the U.S. deeper into the standoff.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatened Russia with further sanctions on Sunday, unless the country stopped backing separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Elsewhere on the Comex, silver for July delivery added 0.19% to trade at $19.608 a troy ounce, while copper for July delivery edged up 0.17% to trade at $3.059 a pound.