Gold dips as dollar, Treasury yields recover; faces worst week in a month

Gold prices fell on Friday, as the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields recovered after declining in the previous session and put bullion on track for its biggest weekly drop in a month.

FUNDAMENTALS


* Spot gold was down 0.6% at $1,845.89 per ounce as of 0104 GMT. U.S. gold futures were flat at $1,849.20.

* Benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields strengthened after a sharp fall on Thursday, weighing on demand for non-yielding gold.

* The dollar index also rose, making greenback-priced bullion less attractive.

* World stocks plummeted again on Thursday, after a series of rate rises from global central banks rekindled fears that aggressive policy tightening could drag economies into recession.

* Gold prices have fallen about 1.3% in what has been a volatile week, and its worst since mid-May, after starting it near a one-month peak before hitting a four-week low on Tuesday.

* The U.S. Federal Reserve announced its biggest interest rate hike since 1994 on Wednesday, as it scrambles to rein in soaring inflation. Rising rates in the United States increase the opportunity cost of holding gold.

* The Bank of Japan is likely to maintain ultra-low interest rates in its policy meeting later in the day and stress its resolve to support a fragile economy with massive stimulus, a move that may further weaken the yen by highlighting a policy divergence with the rest of the world.

* Spot silver fell 0.9% to $21.73 per ounce, and is down about 0.7% this week.

* Platinum dipped 0.9% to $942.44, and has dropped about 3.2% for the week.

* Palladium rose 0.2% to $1,869.24, but is still set for a third consecutive weekly fall, having lost about 2.6%.

DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0900 EU HICP Final MM, YY May 1315 US Industrial Production MM May