Feb 15 (Reuters) - Gold eased on Monday after U.S. Treasury
yields jumped to their highest in nearly 11 months in the
previous session, with platinum scaling a six-year peak on
expectations of a supply shortfall.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold fell 0.1% to $1,821.84 per ounce by 0041
GMT. U.S. gold futures slipped 0.1% to $1,822.30.
* Platinum rose 1.1% to $1,265.89, after hitting its
highest since January 2015 at $1,269.30. Platinum, used by the
auto industry to filter emissions from engine exhausts, may see
a third consecutive annual deficit in 2021, according to
specialist materials firm Johnson Matthey.
* Benchmark U.S. Treasury yields rose to their highest
levels since March on Friday, while inflation expectations edged
up to a six-year high.
* Higher inflation boosts gold but also lifts Treasury
yields, which in turn increases the opportunity cost of holding
bullion.
* U.S. President Joe Biden pushed for the first major
legislative achievement of his term on Friday, turning to a
bipartisan group of local officials for help on his $1.9
trillion coronavirus relief plan.
* U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday urged G7
finance leaders to "go big" with additional fiscal stimulus to
recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Physical gold demand eased last week in India as
volatility in domestic prices put off buyers, while interest for
silver remained strong in Singapore and Japan.
* Hedge funds and money managers raised their bullish
positions in COMEX gold and cut them in silver contracts in the
week to Feb. 9, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(CFTC) said on Friday.
* Silver gained 0.4% to $27.46 an ounce and palladium
climbed 0.1% to $2,389.67.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0630 India WPI Inflation YY Jan
1100 EU Reserve Assents Total Jan
1400 Euro zone finance ministers meet
(Reporting by Sumita Layek in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika
Syamnath)
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