On Monday, gold prices fell amid sluggish trading on European markets, while the US dollar recovered. Nevertheless, the price of bullion is still hovering near weekly highs, as concerns about the Omicron coronavirus variant and inflationary expectations increase the demand for safe-havens.

Gold is falling due to a decrease in trading volumes

So, spot gold fell by 0.2% to $1,804.49 per ounce by 13:26 GMT but remained above the $1,800 mark reached last week. US gold futures fell 0.3% to $1,806.50 per ounce.

"Although the US dollar has strengthened, gold prices are not changing much today," says Peter Fertig, an analyst at Quantitative Commodity Research. In his opinion, one of the main reasons for the lack of liquidity is the closure of markets at Christmas.

A slightly higher yield increases the opportunity cost of owning gold, which also affects the price of precious metals, Fertig added.

"Gold is facing resistance just above $ 1,815. It will continue to struggle to stay at these levels if the US dollar does not fall sharply this week," analyst Jeffrey Halley said.

The dollar index has risen from its lowest level in almost a week, which makes the gold in US dollars less attractive to holders of non-US currencies.

Although the week opened calmly, "low liquidity increases the sensitivity of the headlines, as weak markets are likely to cause a more nervous price movement if something happens," said currency strategist Ilya Spivak.

Indeed, volatility in case of unfavorable news can grow unpredictably, so you should not get carried away with trading these days.

Silver also fell 1.3% to $22.65 an ounce, while platinum fell 2.1% to $953.94.

The price of palladium followed the trend and decreased by 0.4%, to $ 1,941.40 per ounce - after reaching a maximum since November 23, 1962.50 dollars per ounce.

Global stock indices have stabilized and oil prices have declined amid concerns that the Omicron option could slow economic growth in the new year.