Gold prices held above the $5,000 mark, as a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East and fears of a potential strike against Iran lifted demand for safe-haven assets.

Gold futures rose on Monday, as the volatile yellow metal benefited from uncertainty overseas. The overwhelmingly election win for Japan’s conservatives, who are pushing for more fiscal spending, and a Bloomberg report that China is urging local banks to scale back their holdings of U.S. government debt, were both seen as helping lift demand.

Gold and silver futures declined on Monday amid lower trading volumes, as US and Chinese markets were closed for public holidays, while investors lock

Gold rebounds above $4,900 as dip-buyers return after a 3% drop. Fed minutes and U.S.-Iran talks drive precious metals moves. Silver up 3%.

Gold edged higher on a likely technical recovery after front-month gold futures fell 2.8% overnight.

After delivering months of record breaking returns, gold and silver have turned extremely volatile. The yellow

Gold ($4,965/ounce) and silver ($78/ounce) saw some divergence in performance last week. While the former gained 1.4 per cent, the latter slumped 8.5 per cent. In the domestic market, gold futures (₹1,55,451/10 gm) rose 2 per cent whereas silver futures (₹2,49,892/kg) tumbled 14.4 per cent. Here is our analysis:

Gold has rarely been this volatile, and the bullion's sharp price swings are increasingly being linked to China's speculative traders, some analysts believe.

MCX surges 3% after withdrawing extra margins on gold and silver futures; explore how this could impact trading and revenue. Read more!