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Gold prices skidded 1 per cent on Monday, retreating from a 14-month peak hit in the previous session after an agreement between the US and Mexico to avert a tariff war crimped safe-haven demand for the metal.
Spot gold was down 1 per cent at $1,327.32 per ounce, as of 0725 GMT. In the previous session, the bullion hit its highest since April 19, 2018 at $1,348.08 an ounce. US gold futures also fell 1 per cent, to $1,332.10 an ounce.
“Talks between the US and Mexico seem to have smoothened out already and the (gold) market seems to have lost its safe-haven appeal a little bit,” said Ronald Leung, chief dealer at Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong.
“However, hopes that the US Federal Reserve will reduce the interest rate are still looking a little positive for gold.”
The US and Mexico struck a deal on Friday to avert a tariff war, with the latter agreeing to rapidly expand a controversial asylum programme and deploy security forces to stem the flow of illegal Central American migrants.
US President Donald Trump also defended the deal against criticism that there were no major new commitments to stem a flow of Central American migrants crossing into the US, and said on Sunday more details would soon be released.
Global equities also took heart from Washington's plans to shelf the imposition of tariffs on Mexico, and as Friday's weak US jobs data raised hopes for US interest rate cuts.
Expectations that the US Federal Reserve might deliver a rate cut, however, provide a glimmer of hope for gold bulls since lower interest rates increase the opportunity cost for holding bullion.
Fed fund futures now price in more than two 25-basis point rate cuts by the end of this year, with one almost fully priced in by July, especially as weak data from the US and an unending Sino-US trade spat cloud global economic outlook.
China's trade surplus with the US, which has been a major sticking point with Washington, rose to $26.89 billion in May, from $21.01 billion in April, customs data showed.
On Saturday, the chief editor of China's Global Times newspaper said China was preparing to curb some technology exports to their trade adversaries, thawing hopes of a Mexico-like settlement to the Sino-US trade war.
Speculators also raised net long position in COMEX gold in the week ended June 4, data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) showed on Friday.
Elsewhere, silver shed 1.5 per cent to $14.77 per ounce. Platinum fell 0.4 per cent to $802.91 an ounce, while palladium eased 0.1 per cent to $1,356.25 an ounce.
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