PRECIOUS-Gold rises on inflation, Ukraine concerns

Adds comments, details and updates prices

By Seher Dareen

April 7 (Reuters) – Gold prices rose on Thursday as concerns over rising costs and the Ukraine crisis bolstered its appeal as an inflation hedge and a safe haven, but the U.S. Federal Reserve’s aggressive policy stance limited gains.

Spot gold XAU= was up 0.5% to $1,934.69 per ounce by 2:13 p.m. ET (1812 GMT). U.S. gold futures rose 0.8% to $1,937.80.

“Once inflation starts to heat up again, which I think it will, it is going to work in favor (of gold), even in the face of the aggressive Fed monetary policy,” said Jim Wycoff, senior analyst at Kitco Metals.

Minutes of the Fed’s March meeting showed deepening concern among policymakers that inflation had broadened through the economy, with “many” participants prepared to raise interest rates in hefty 50-basis-point increments in the next few meetings. nL2N2W41S3nF9N2UZ00F

Rising U.S. interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding bullion while boosting the dollar.

The dollar index =USD slipped from a near two-year high touched earlier in the session, while benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields also held close to a multi-year peak scaled on Wednesday. US/USD/

Ukraine has stepped up calls for financial sanctions crippling enough to force Moscow to end the war, while NATO members have agreed to strengthen support to Kyiv. nA5N2VD01AnL5N2W45N5

Wall Street’s main indexes fell for a third straight session, as growth stocks extended losses on concerns over a more hawkish Federal Reserve and the war in Ukraine. .N

Palladium XPD= rose as much as 3.7% to around $2,278.

“Palladium has been very volatile. For today, it’s just recovering a little bit from yesterday’s losses,” said Miguel Perez-Santalla, head of trading sales and marketing at Heraeus Metals Management in New York. nL2N2W4138

Russia produces 25%-30% of the world’s supply of palladium, a metal used by automakers in engine exhausts to reduce emissions.

In other metals, silver XAG= rose 0.6% to $24.58 per ounce and platinum XPT= gained 0.9% to $961.53.

(Reporting by Seher Dareen and Eileen Soreng in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Vinay Dwivedi)

((Seher.Dareen@thomsonreuters.com; If within U.S. +1 646 223 8780;))