Gold futures tilted higher in Asian trade as the dollar index backed off December 18 highs, amid a lack of US data today while investors await US-China trade talks. 

As of 03:22 GMT, gold futures due in April rose 0.03% to $1,312.00 an ounce, while the dollar index slipped 0.06% to 97.01, on track to snap the longest winning streak since November 2016. 

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will deliver a speech titled "Economic Development in High Poverty Rural Communities" at the Hope Enterprise Corporation Rural Policy Forum, in Mississippi, later today, while investors await the second round of US-China trade talks in Beijing later this week. 

Now investors await the third round of US-China trade talks, with US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and other officials heading to Beijing later this week to resume negotiations. 

US President Donald Trump recently said he doesn't intend to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping before the early March deadline for their truce, rousing concerns in the markets about returning tariffs if no deal was reached in time. 

Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen surprised the markets by saying the next move by the Fed will probably a rate hike as the global economy slows down and weighs on the US. 

Global Gold Council 

Global Gold Council's recent data showed purchases by global central banks rose to 1967 highs last year at 651.5 tonnes, up 74% from 2017 levels, with highest bidders being China, Poland, and Russia. 

The council estimated global consumption of gold rose to 4,345.1 tonnes last year from 4,159.9 tonnes, while jewels demand steadied at 2,200 tonnes. 

Demand from financial institutions on the other hand tumbled 67% from 2017 levels.

Asian stock indices opened the second session of the week mixed with Japanese stocks up 2% after closing on Monday for a national holiday, with Australian, South Korean, and New Zealand stocks muscling up as well. 

Chinese, Hong Kong stocks fell on the other hand amid anticipation for upcoming US-China trade talks, with US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and other officials heading to Beijing later this week to resume negotiations. 

US President Donald Trump recently said he doesn't intend to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping before the early March deadline for their truce, rousing concerns in the markets about returning tariffs if no deal was reached in time. 

Japan's Nikkei 225 rallied 1.93%, or 392.03 points to 20,725.20. 

China's CSI 300 inched down 0.12%, or 4.13 points to 3,302.34, as the Shanghai index slipped 0.07% to 2,652.09. 

Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.42% to 28,025.54, while South Korea's KOSPI rose 0.27% to 2,186.66. 

New Zealand's NZX 50 rose 0.64% to 9,286.62, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.27% to 16.35 points to 6,077.20. 

Australian dollar tilted higher in Asian trade off January 4 lows against its US counterpart, following earlier data from Australia. 

As of 02:32 GMT, AUD/USD rose 0.21% to 0.7077, with an intraday high at 0.7083, and a six-week trough at 0.7054. 

Earlier Australian data showed an index tracking business sentiment up to 4 from 3 in December, while house loans tumbled 6.1% in December, sharpening a 0.9% decline in November. 

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will deliver a speech titled "Economic Development in High Poverty Rural Communities" at the Hope Enterprise Corporation Rural Policy Forum, in Mississippi, later today, while investors await the second round of US-China trade talks in Beijing later this week. 

US stock indices were mixed today, with Dow Jones pressured by the lower oil prices and uncertainty over US-China negotiations, while Nasdaq closed higher.  

The White House and Congress recently agreed to fund the federal government for three weeks ending February 15. 

US Vice President Mike Pence said he expected another government shutdown as no deal between Trump and the Democrats seems likely. 

A US delegation led by treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin traveled to China to conduct talks with officials in Beijing in another attempt to reach a compromise and solve the trade dispute. 

In the oil markets, US West Texas fell 0.6% to $52.41 a barrel, while Brent declined 1% to $61.51 a barrel. 

Stock Performance 

Dow Jones fell 0.2% to $25,053, with a session-low at 25,009. 

Nasdaq rose 0.1% to 7,308, with an intraday high at 7,343, and a low at 7,290. 

Standard and Poor's 500 added 0.1% to 2,710, with an intraday high at 2,718, and a low at 2,703.