Gold rose on Monday after hitting a three-week low
with bargain hunters and physical buyers
supporting a market that remained
vulnerable on thin trading ahead of Christmas. As a currency hedge, the market is waiting to see
further weakness in the dollar. But the
greenback has been steady against the
other major currencies. Today's FOMC minutes might dictate the future direction for gold and any
hint of no rate cuts would send the
dollar higher and the precious metals
complex lower. On the data front, October's trade balance is likely to be $63 billion against $64.3
billion, which should support the
dollar.