(RTTNews) - The price of gold was firm near $1,430 Monday morning on safe-haven appeal.
Gold for April delivery, the most actively traded contract, moved up $12.40 to $1,428.50 an ounce. Last week, gold ended little changed after oscillating between $1,433 and $1,386 amid unrest in the Middle-East and nuclear crisis in Japan.
Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, moved up to 1,226.40 tons from 1,217.30 tons.
In news bullish to gold, U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs Group said it expects gold prices to rally to a record $1,480 in three months on declining U.S. real interest rates.
Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar was lingering near its 4-month low versus the euro, while slipping back towards a 3-week low against sterling. The buck was edging up versus the Swiss franc and the yen.
Elsewhere, the prices of silver and platinum were ticking higher in morning deals.
In economic news, the National Association of Realtors will release its report on existing home sales for February at 10.00 a.m. ET. Economists expect existing home sales of 5.15 million for the month.
