GOLD FIRMS : NEAR $2,000 AN OUNCE

LONDON : Gold prices rose on Tuesday as the dollar plunged to two-year lows and the US Treasury yields ticked lower, but the metal slipped below the key $2,000 an ounce mark after the S&P 500 touched record highs.

Spot gold rose 0.7 per cent at $1,999.76 per ounce by 11:34 am EDT [1534 GMT], after hitting a one-week peak of $2,034.97 US gold futures were up 0.4 pc at $2,006.10.

''People are watching the dollar index and its pretty alarming how its breaking down and we're seeing all these hard assets like gold and silver rising up in tandem,'' said Philip Streible, chief market strategist at Blue Line Futures in Chicago. [Reuters]