Gold holds near $1,800, dollar gains ground

Gold futures tilted higher in Asian trade while the dollar index inched higher as well, ahead of US jobs data while markets price in economic recovery led by government stimulus worldwide, and amid concerns of a second Covid 19 wave. 

As of 04:13 GMT, gold futures due in August rose 0.05% to $1,794.80 an ounce, while the dollar index inched up to 96.77. 

From the US, job opportunities are expected down to 4.70 million from 5.05 million in April. 

The US Department of Labor revealed last week that the economy added 4.8 million new jobs in June, beating forecasts of 3 million jobs.

The unemployment rate fell to 11.1% in June, vs. 13.3% in May.

While the unemployment claims reached 1.420 million during the past week vs. forecasts of 1.350 million.

The World Health Organization reported last Sunday over 200,000 cases worldwide in a single day, a record high, with the death toll surpassing 532,000.