BENGALURU, July 4 (Reuters) - Gold prices edged higher early
on Monday to extend 1.5-percent gains from the previous session,
while silver breached the $20-dollar level for the first time in
nearly two years as Asian stocks fell.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= was up 0.2 percent at $1,344.09 an ounce
by 0115 GMT. It rose 1.5 percent on Friday, after ending June up
about 9 percent.
* U.S. gold GCcv1 was up 0.7 percent at $1,347.80.
* Silver XAG= breached the $20 an ounce level early
Monday, hitting a session-high of $20.378, its strongest since
August 2014. The white metal gained 11.6 percent last week to
mark its best weekly gain since August 2013.
* Asian share markets took a step back on Monday as
investors took stock of the potential economic fallout from the
Brexit vote after days of volatile trade, with MSCI's broadest
index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS down
0.1 percent in early trading. MKTS/GLOB
* The dollar index up .DXY , which measures the greenback
against a basket of currencies, was nearly flat, but it remained
pressured by a fall in U.S. Treasury yields on Friday. USD/
* U.S. factory activity expanded at a healthy pace in June
as new orders, output and exports rose, new industry data showed
on Friday, providing another sign that U.S. economic growth was
regaining its footing after weakness early this year.
* The U.S. economy has shown signs of improvement in recent
weeks but the Federal Reserve expects it will take some time
before it can assess the impact of Britain's vote to leave the
European Union, Fed Vice Chair Stanley Fischer said on Friday.
* Two of the European Central Bank's top policymakers
pressed Britain on Friday to provide a clear-cut plan for
leaving the European Union, to prevent more economic damage.
* Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust GLD , the world's largest
gold-backed exchange-traded fund, rose 0.41 percent to 953.91
tonnes on Friday, the highest since July 2013.
* Hedge funds and money managers raised their bullish
positions in COMEX gold and silver contracts to record highs in
the week to June 28.
* Gold demand in Asia remained sluggish this week as higher
prices continued to deter physical traders from making fresh
purchases, with discounts in India widening to a record high.
* For the top stories on metals and other news, click
TOP/MTL or GOL
DATA AHEAD (GMT)
0830 Euro zone Sentix index July
0900 Euro zone producer prices May
U.S. markets shut on Monday for Independence Day holiday