India gold traders stay away on near-record prices

India gold traders continued to refrain from taking fresh positions as prices stayed near record highs and the flow of scrap eased, dealers said.

"Demand continues to be slack even though we were running at a discount of 150 (Rs per 10 grams)," said Pinakin Vyas, chief manager-treasury, IndusInd Bank in Mumbai. "I have advanced orders at about USD 1,050 (an ounce).

The most-traded December contract was 0.24% higher at Rs 16,628 per 10 grams at 2:41 p.m., after hitting a record high of Rs 16,677 in the previous session.

The flow of scrap eased as consumers waited for higher prices, they added.

"About 100 kgs of gold must have landed in Zaveri bazaar in last two days, but now flows have slowed... they are now expecting Rs 17,000 (per 10 grams)," said Jitendra Kantilal, partner, Jugraj Kantilal & Co.

The futures trading on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) platform was halted for an hour between 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. due to a technical snag, an MCX spokesperson said.