Gold, silver rise to near record highs on lingering safe-haven demand

Gold rose on Tuesday, after breaking through the $5,100 mark for the ‍first time in the previous session, as safe-haven demand lingered amid geopolitical uncertainty, while silver ⁠too hovered near all-time highs.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold climbed 1.1% to $5,068.05 per ounce, as of 0121 GMT, after scaling a record $5,110.50 the previous day.


* U.S. gold futures for February delivery added ‌0.4% to $5,063.0 ‌per ounce.

* Making things murkier geopolitically, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would raise tariffs ‌on South Korean autos, lumber, and pharmaceuticals imports to 25%, while criticizing Seoul for failing to enact a trade deal with Washington.

* This was after he threatened tariffs on Canada in the backdrop of a thawing relationship between the two countries, when Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China earlier this month.

* The rising yen took a toll on ‌the dollar, which ‍languished near a four-month low as it was further ‍pressured by problems of its own, including a looming U.S. ‌government shutdown and Trump's erratic policymaking. [USD/]

* A weaker dollar makes greenback-priced gold less expensive for overseas buyers.

* The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady at its monetary policy meeting beginning later on Tuesday, overshadowed by a Trump administration criminal investigation of U.S. central bank chief Jerome Powell, an evolving effort to fire Fed Governor Lisa ‍Cook, and the coming nomination of a successor to take over from Powell in May. [FEDWATCH]

* Elsewhere, Zijin Gold will buy Canada's ‍Allied Gold for ⁠about C$5.5 billion ($4.02 ⁠billion) in cash, as the Chinese miner ramps up its global expansion amid record high prices. Gold's unprecedented rally has boosted miners' margins and cash flows, fuelling consolidation.

* Spot silver surged 6.3% to $110.39 an ounce, after hitting a record high of $117.69 on Monday. The white metal has already surged 55% so far this year.

* Spot platinum lost 2.5% to $2,688.12 per ounce after hitting a record $2,918.80 in the previous session, while palladium edged 0.1% higher to $1,980.50.

DATA/EVENTS (GMT)

1500 US Consumer confidence Jan

(Reporting by Ishaan Arora in Bengaluru; Ediitng by Rashmi Aich)