* Gold priced in sterling hits over 3-year high
* U.S. Fed June FOMC meeting minutes due Wednesday
* GRAPHIC-2016 asset returns: http://reut.rs/1WAiOSC
(Updates prices)
By Jan Harvey
LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Gold hit its highest in more than
two years on Wednesday as a drop in stock markets and a slide in
some bond yields to record lows after Britain's vote to leave
the European Union prompted investors to seek out bullion as a
haven from risk.
European equities fell and Germany's 10-year bond yield slid
to a record low for a second day on Wednesday, as fears about
the impact of Brexit on economic growth gripped global markets
and underpinned demand for safe-haven bonds.
Spot gold XAU= was up 1.1 percent at $1,370.80 an ounce at
1145 GMT, while U.S. gold futures GCv1 for August delivery
were up $15.30 an ounce at $1,374.00.
"Panic is back in the market -- you can see that not only in
gold, but also with stock markets," LBBW analyst Thorsten
Proettel said. "Right now, everyone is looking for a strategy
from London."
As well as investors shaken by stock market volatility
fleeing to the safety of gold, the drop in bond yields has cut
the opportunity cost of holding bullion.
Yields on U.S. Treasuries, the benchmark for bonds
worldwide, hit record lows out to 30 years on Tuesday. US/
"Bonds are in negative territory now, and big investors are
looking for any possibility of avoiding negative interest
rates," Proettel said. "So gold may become more interesting for
them."
The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR
Gold Shares GLD , posted the biggest one-day surge in its
holdings in more than six years on Tuesday. They jumped 28.8
tonnes to 982.72 tonnes, their highest since June 2013. GOL/ETF
Gold's move higher came in the teeth of a stronger dollar,
as has happened before in periods of elevated risk aversion. The
pound dropped to a fresh 31-year low against the dollar. FRX/
Gold priced in sterling XAUGBP=R rose to its highest in
over three years, touching a high of 1,069.36 pounds an ounce.
Investors will also be watching for clues on U.S. Federal
Reserve interest rate policy from minutes of its June 14-15
meeting later in the day, after New York Fed President William
Dudley said the bank can be patient on raising rates.
"We continue to expect U.S. real rates to fall from here and
ultimately for equilibrium real rates to settle lower and have
limited upside," UBS said in a note. "These factors justify
strategic gold allocations across different types of investors."
Among other precious metals, silver XAG= was up 1.5
percent at $20.19 an ounce, while platinum XPT= was down 0.9
percent at $1,061.99 an ounce and palladium XPD= was down 0.6
percent at $594.60 an ounce.
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