• Gold was little changed on Monday, supported by safe haven interest amid rising geopolitical tensions over North Korea and a weaker dollar. Investors are closely watching developments after the reclusive state fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast, days after it promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korean military drills.
• "There is still plenty of critical uncertainty supporting safe-haven buying and the news out of North Korea certainly has seen that side of the market quite active again," said ANZ analyst Daniel Hynes.
• Spot gold <XAU=> edged down 0.1 percent to $1,233.18 per ounce at 0611 GMT. The metal hit $1,222.51, the lowest since Feb. 15, in the previous session on signals of a hike in U.S. interest rates this month. U.S. gold futures <GCcv1> rose 0.6 percent, to $1,233.2.
• The dollar slipped in Asian trading on Monday, as investors locked in gains after its rise last week on growing expectations of a U.S. interest rate hike. The dollar index <.DXY> was down 0.1 percent to 101.46.
• Spot gold may revisit its March 3 low of $1,222.51 per ounce, as its drop from the Feb. 27 high of $1,263.80 has not completed, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.
• Meanwhile, hedge funds and money managers boosted their net long position in COMEX gold to the highest in over three months in the week to Feb. 28, data showed on Friday.
• "If you look purely at a fundamental standpoint, the funds are just playing the markets as they see it," said Spencer Campbell, general manager with Kaloti Precious Metals in Singapore.
• "The recent sentiment going into any discussion around interest rate movements is that they are just selling at the rallies."
• In other precious metals, spot silver <XAG=> fell 0.7 percent to $17.83 per ounce.
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