Price gains for gold, silver on short covering, value buying

(Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are moderately higher in early U.S. trading Monday, on some short covering by the shorter-term futures traders and some perceived value buying buy traders in the cash market. April gold futures were last up $8.90 at $1,728.80 and May Comex silver was last up $0.254 at $26.165 an ounce.

Global stock markets were mixed but mostly firmer overnight. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward modestly higher openings when the New York day session begins. Investors and traders to start the trading week are more focused on better global economic growth prospects and the pandemic being tamped down by rising vaccination levels, and less focused on rising government bond yields that have at times recently produced speed bumps for the stock market bulls. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield is presently fetching 1.613%.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday the U.S. inflation risk is small and manageable. The Federal Reserve's two-day Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting begins Tuesday morning and ends Wednesday afternoon with a statement and new U.S. economic projections. While no change in U.S. monetary policy is expected at this week's meeting, traders will be closely scrutinizing wording on the Fed's economic growth and inflation prospects.