Gold prices rise on bargain hunting, dollar pullback

By Sethuraman N R

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Gold prices edged up on Tuesday from an 18-month low hit in the previous session as a break below a key psychological level triggered buying interest, while the U.S. dollar pared gains after scaling a 13-month high.

Spot gold was up 0.2 percent at $1,195.51 an ounce, as of 0654 GMT. In the previous session, the bullion hit $1191.35, its lowest since Jan. 30, 2017.

U.S. gold futures were up 0.3 percent at $1,202.50 per ounce.

"Some stop-loss selling pushed the market lower below $1,200 ... We see some fresh buying interest from here as well as physical interest," said Peter Fung, head of dealing at Wing Fung Precious Metals in Hong Kong.

"However, the market is still under pressure as the U.S. dollar is still very strong. Also, interest rates are poised to go higher and market sentiments are bearish on gold."

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was down about 0.3 percent at 96.168, after climbing to a 13-month high on Monday.

"People are punting on better growth prospects in the United States, hurting gold's prospects ... Technically, gold is looking bad and may test $1,165," said Amit Kumar Gupta, portfolio management services head at Adroit Financial Services in New Delhi.

The euro stood near a one-year low against the dollar and the Swiss franc on Tuesday, remaining under pressure as the Turkish lira wobbled on worries that Turkey's economic woes could hit European banks and spread to other emerging economies. [USD/]

Gold, which is traditionally considered as an insurance against political and economic uncertainty, has failed to benefit this year.

Instead, investors have made a beeline for U.S. Treasuries, seen as the ultimate safe haven, which meant they had to buy dollars.

"If Turkey contagion spreads further, we may see some buying (in gold). But, as of now the U.S. dollar continues to be a safe haven buying option," said Amit Kumar Gupta, portfolio management services head at Adroit Financial Services in New Delhi.

Investors' bearish stance on gold continued to reflect in record short positions and in the outflow of gold exchange traded products. [CFTC/] [GOL/ETF]

Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.19 percent to 784.60 tonnes on Monday from Friday. Holdings have fallen about 10 percent from their peak in April and are at their lowest since Feb. 2016.

Spot platinum rose 0.9 percent to $804.80, after touching three-week low at $791.50 on Monday.

Silver was up 0.7 percent at $15.10. It hit an over 13-month low of $14.94 in the previous session.

Palladium rose 0.1 percent to $892.30.

(Reporting by Apeksha Nair and Sumita Layek in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Gopakumar Warrier)