Gold prices ease from 7-year peak, here are today's prices in Dubai

The safe-haven demand took a hit after a dramatic drop in new coronavirus cases.

Gold prices fell slightly on Thursday, after hitting their highest since March 2013 in the previous session, as Chinese stimulus measures to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak stoked investors to opt for riskier assets.
Spot gold was down 0.1 per cent at $1,609.59 per ounce, as of 0253 GMT. Bullion rose to an intraday high of $1,612.62 in the previous session, the highest since March 25, 2013. US gold futures were flat at $1,612.20.
The precious metal is priced at Dh194.25 for 24K, Dh182.50 for 22K and Dh149.25 for 18K, per gram in Dubai.
"It seems to be a bit more corrective mostly because ... it's not just in gold that we are seeing a bit of a walk back in risk-off dynamics, but across a variety of assets," said DailyFx currency strategist Ilya Spivak.
Asian equities inched higher, supported by a fall in coronavirus cases and expectations of more stimulus from China.
China's central Hubei province had 349 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, the province's health commission said, down from 1,693 a day earlier and the lowest since Jan. 25, although it was accompanied by a change in methodology.
In line with market expectations, China cut its benchmark lending rate to support an economy hit by the epidemic.
"Thought China's announcement may give us some fireworks in the near-term, most of global transaction are done in US dollar so, what matters here is what the Federal Reserve is doing," DailyFx's Spivak said.
US Fed policymakers were cautiously optimistic about their ability to hold interest rates steady this year, minutes of the central bank's last policy meeting showed on Wednesday, even as they acknowledged new risks caused by the epidemic.
The US dollar, also considered a safe haven, slipped from nearly three-year high scaled in the previous session.
Lower interest rate reduces the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.
"Short-term, gold prices should stay supported and test new highs as growth risks are reassessed, but absolute returns may be limited if coronavirus-related disruptions are limited to 1Q," UBS analyst said in a note dated Feb. 19.
Elsewhere, deficit-hit palladium advanced 0.8 per cent to $2,735.90 an ounce, having touched a record high of $2,841.54 in the previous session.
Silver was down 0.3 per cent at $18.34, but hovered near its highest level in more than a month hit on Wednesday, while platinum fell 0.7 per cent to $998.

• Gold and Forex