PRECIOUS-Gold eases on higher yields, firm dollar; US-Iran talks in focus

BY Reuters | TREASURY | 02:27 AM EDT

* Traders see 39% chance of a 25-bp U.S. rate hike in December

* Fed minutes show more policymakers open to a rate hike

* Trump says negotiations with Iran in final stages (Updates prices, adds details as of 0611 GMT)

By Noel John

May 21 (Reuters) - Gold edged lower on Thursday as higher Treasury yields and a firm dollar weighed on the metal, while hopes of a resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict limited losses.

Spot gold was down 0.3% at $4,528.03 per ounce, as of 0611 GMT. Bullion had gained more than 1% on Wednesday after falling to its lowest level since March 30 earlier in the day.

U.S. gold futures for June delivery fell 0.1% at $4,528.90.

The dollar rose 0.1%, making greenback-priced bullion expensive for other currency holders.

"Inflation expectation, rising yields, and stronger dollar are the headwinds keeping gold prices under pressure. And these factors will continue to remain in place until we get clarity on how long the conflict is going to persist," said ANZ analyst Soni Kumari.

Gold has fallen more than 14% since the war began in late February, as the non-yielding metal tends to decline on expectations of higher interest rates.

Iran said it was reviewing Washington's latest position on ending the war after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he was prepared to wait a few days to "get the right answers" from Tehran.

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury bond was up 1 basis point at 4.578%, resuming its climb after snapping a three-day streak of declines.

Markets are increasingly pricing in possibilities of the Federal Reserve tightening monetary policy this year, with a 39% chance of a 25 basis-point hike expected in December, per CME Group's FedWatch tool.

"The overall trend of 10-year U.S. Treasury yield, since the start of early March, is still in a medium-term uptrend phase. Hence, gold bulls may not be so aggressive in beating up prices at this juncture," said Kelvin Wong, a senior market analyst at OANDA.

Minutes of the Fed's April meeting showed a majority of policymakers felt "some policy firming would likely become appropriate" if inflation stays persistently above the central bank's 2% target.

Gold is expected to remain weak in the upcoming sessions, with resistance seen at $4,645 levels and support at $4,456 levels, said Wong.

Spot silver was down 1.1% at $75.19 per ounce, platinum lost 0.9% to $1,933.13, and palladium fell 0.8% to $1,359.20.

(Reporting by Noel John in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu, Harikrishnan Nair and Janane Venkatraman)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

fir_news_article