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Gold edged higher on Monday, recovering from an eight-month low touched in the previous session, as a weaker dollar lifted bullion's appeal.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,739.31 per ounce by 0108 GMT, after hitting its lowest since June at $1,716.85 on Friday. U.S. gold futures gained 0.4% to $1,736.10.
* The dollar .DXY slipped from a one-week high hit in the previous session, making gold cheaper for holders of other currencies.
* Bullion, however, posted its worst monthly fall since November 2016 in February due to rising U.S. Treasury Yields, which increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold.
* U.S. House of Representatives passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package early Saturday.
* A global bond market rout saw government bond yields in the United States, Germany and Australia ending February with their biggest monthly rises in years.
* The U.S. government on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, setting the vaccine up for additional approvals around the world.
* Speculators decreased their bullish positions in COMEX gold and silver contracts in the week to Feb. 23, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday.
* Physical gold demand in India gained momentum last week as retail buyers and jewellers lapped up bullion at near eight-month low prices, while Singapore continued to see steady interest for both gold and silver.
* Silver gained 0.3% to $26.71 an ounce, while palladium was up 1% at $2,340.69. Platinum rose 1.1% to $1,202.00.
(Reporting by Shreyansi Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich) ((Shreyansi.Singh@thomsonreuters.com; +91 8061823666/3590 (If within U.S. call +1 646 223 8780); Reuters Messaging: Shreyansi.Singh@thomsonreuters.com))