Sept 16 (Reuters) - Gold prices jumped more than 1% on
Monday as investors scurried for safe-haven assets after weekend
attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities risked disrupting
global energy supplies and increasing tensions in the Middle
East.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= was 1.2% higher at $1,506.87 per ounce,
as of 0050 GMT, on track to mark its biggest one-day percentage
gain since Aug. 23.
* U.S. gold futures GCv1 gained 1.1% to $1,516.10.
* Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said it attacked two
plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry on Saturday,
knocking out more than half the Kingdom's output. * U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United
States was "locked and loaded" for a potential response to the
attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, after a senior official
in his administration said Iran was to blame. * Oil prices surged to six-month highs on Monday, while Wall
Street futures turned lower and safe-haven bets returned after
weekend attacks on Saudi's crude facilities knocked out more
than 5% of global oil supply. MKTS/GLOB
* The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee meets on Tuesday
and Wednesday, with a press conference by Chair Jerome Powell
scheduled to follow the release of the central bank's statement.
* China will exempt some agricultural products from
additional tariffs on U.S. goods, including pork and soybeans,
China's official Xinhua News Agency said Friday, in the latest
sign of easing Sino-U.S. tensions before a new round of talks.
* Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said it would be "very
difficult" for China's economy to grow at a rate of 6% or more
because of the high base from which it was starting and the
complicated international backdrop. * The British Chambers of Commerce cut its forecast for
economic growth this year and 2020 on Monday, blaming a slower
global economy, U.S.-China trade tensions and the persistent
drag from Brexit. * SPDR Gold Trust GLD , the world's largest gold-backed
exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.67% to 874.51
tonnes on Friday. * Hedge funds and money managers reduced their bullish
positions in COMEX gold and silver contracts in the week to
Sept. 10, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
said on Friday. * Newmont Goldcorp NEM.N said on Sunday it has temporarily
suspended operations at the Peñasquito gold mine in Mexico after
the resumption of a previously lifted blockade by a trucking
contractor and some members of the Cedros community.
AHEAD
0200 China Urban Investment (ytd) YY Aug
0200 China Industrial Output YY Aug
0200 China Retail Sales YY Aug
0630 India WPI Inflation YY Aug
1000 EU Reserve Assets Total Aug