Gold prices edged lower on Tuesday, hovering near a three-week low touched in the previous session, as a firmer dollar made bullion more expensive for buyers using other currencies, even as concerns about a global slowdown mounted.

Spot gold fell 0.1 per cent at $1,278.77 per ounce by 0546 GMT, after touching its lowest since December 28 at $1,276.31 on Monday. US gold futures fell 0.3 per cent to $1,278.70 per ounce. The dollar hovered near 2-week highs against its peers on Tuesday.

“Gold has become a victim of a stronger greenback in the short term. A weaker euro and concerns around growth in Europe have given a leg up to the dollar, pushing gold prices down below the key level of $1,280,” said Kyle Rodda, market analyst with IG Markets.

“We haven't seen much data coming out of the US recently due to the government shut-down. If we see more weaker data, that could cause bond yields to fall and support gold. Also, technically, we need to see gold push above the challenge of the $1,300 level.”

The dollar's rise weighed on gold, which has climbed more than 10 per cent since mid-August, largely because of equity market turmoil and a weak dollar. Weaker Chinese economic data also supported the US dollar.

China's economy cooled in the fourth quarter under pressure from faltering domestic demand and bruising US tariffs, dragging 2018 growth to the lowest level in nearly three decades, data showed on Monday.

Asian shares slipped on Tuesday on pessimism about world growth, after the International Monetary Fund trimmed its global growth forecasts. However, this did not influence gold prices.

“It seems that several factors boosting gold earlier in January now seem to be having no effect, namely, the far more dovish Fed statements and clearer signs of slowing global macro growth,” INTL FCstone analyst said in a note.

“Instead, it seems that gold is being undermined by a slightly stronger dollar along with a modest uptick in US 10-year yields.”

Fed officials have left little doubt that they want to stop raising interest rates, at least for a while. Higher interest rates tend to reduce the appetite for non-yielding gold.

Spot gold may fall to $1,268, as it has broken a support at $1,279 per ounce, according to Reuters technical analyst, Wang Tao.

Meanwhile, spot palladium, which hit a record high of $1,434.50 last week, driven by a sustained deficit and rising demand, stood firm at $1,362.50 an ounce.

Silver fell 0.1 per cent to $15.21 an ounce, while platinum was down 0.2 per cent at $789.50.

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