Gold holds steady on Delta variant, Afghanistan fears

*Spot gold was little changed at $1,787.90 per ounce by 0105 GMT, after hitting its highest since Aug. 6 at $1,788.97 on Monday. U.S. gold futures eased 0.1 per cent to $1,788.40.

* The US dollar, which is also often seen as the ultimate safe-haven currency, held firm against other rivals.

* The number of new Covid-19 cases fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant jumped about 81 per cent over the past 14 days to 1.67 million cases in the United States, according to a Reuters tally.

* Investor focus is now on the minutes of Federal Reserve’s July meeting due on Wednesday for cues on the central bank’s stimulus tapering.

* Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said on Monday that one more month of strong job gains could satisfy the U.S. central bank’s requirements for beginning to reduce its monthly asset purchases.

* China’s factory output and retail sales growth slowed sharply and missed expectations in July, as new COVID-19 outbreaks and floods disrupted business operations, adding to signs the economic recovery is losing momentum.

* Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) said on Monday it will halt deferred transactions of precious metals for some accounts amid increased volatility in global and domestic precious metal prices.

* SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.1 per cent to 1,020.63 tonnes on Monday.

* Silver rose 0.3 per cent to $23.89 per ounce. Platinum inched up 0.1 per cent to $1,023.52 and palladium was flat at $2,605.92.