WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gold futures ended slightly weak on Monday after a somewhat lackluster session as investors tracked the developments in the U.S. where there are widespread protests following the death of a person in police custody last week.
Data showing an expansion in China's manufacturing activity in the month of May, and tensions between the U.S. and China over the latter imposing a security law on Hong Kong limited gold's downside.
The dollar's weakness too helped the yellow metal's cause. The dollar index was down more than 0.5% at 97.82.
Gold futures for August ended down $1.40 at $1,750.30 an ounce.
Silver futures for July ended up $$0.330, or 1.8%, at $18.827 an ounce, while Copper futures for July settled at $2.4705 per pound, gaining nearly 2%.
Traders were a bit unnerved by the political unrest across the country following the death of George Floyd, with a number of major retailers temporarily closing their stores in areas hit hard by protests.
Meanwhile, Beijing has warned Washington of retaliation after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would ban some Chinese graduate students and start reversing Hong Kong's special status in customs and other areas.
In economic news, manufacturing activity in the U.S. contracted at a slightly slower rate in the month of May, according to a report released by the Institute for Supply Management on Monday.
The ISM said its purchasing managers index rose to 43.1 in May from 41.5 in April, coming in just below economist estimates for a reading of 43.6.
While the index rebounded from its lowest level since April of 2009, a reading below 50 still indicates a contraction in manufacturing activity.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX