RIYADH: Gold was mostly quiet on Thursday, but faced its worst quarter since early 2021 as the strength of the dollar kept investors away.
Bullion’s outlook was clouded by top central banks adopting aggressive tactics against stubborn inflation.
Spot gold was flat at $1,817.07 per ounce by 0339 GMT. US gold futures edged up 0.1 percent to $1,819.70.
Gold prices, set to drop for a third straight month, have fallen about 6.2 percent this quarter.
Silver slightly up
Spot silver was up 0.1 percent at $20.72 per ounce, while platinum was flat at $916.66.
Palladium gained 1.2 percent to $1,986.21. However, they were all still headed for monthly and quarterly losses.
Grains fall
Chicago corn fell on Thursday, weighed down by increased chances of rain in growing areas in the US.
Wheat and soybeans also fell.
The most-active corn contract on the Chicago Board of Trade fell 0.42 percent to $6.51 a bushel.
Wheat fell 0.59 percent to $9.24-3/4 a bushel and soybeans edged down 0.02 percent to $17.48 a bushel.
Copper heads for worst quarter since March 2020
Copper prices slipped on Thursday and were set for their biggest quarterly percentage drop since March 2020, hit by worries about a potential recession following a series of interest rate hikes and a slowdown in demand due to lockdowns in top consumer China.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.4 percent at $8,371.50 a ton, as of 0437 GMT. The contract has fallen more than 19 percent so far this quarter.
The most-traded August copper contract in Shanghai was flat at $9,555.69 a ton by the midday break.
(With input from Reuters)
