Goldand silver prices are moderately lower inearly-afternoon U.S. trading Monday, on downside corrections following gainsposted last Friday. Investor and traders are also still exhibiting keener riskappetites worldwide, which is also a negative for the safe-haven metals. April gold futures were last down $7.80 an ounce at$1,291.50. May Comex silver was last down $0.084 at $15.265 anounce.

Tradersand investors are mostly upbeat to start the trading week, following doureconomic data out of the U.S. and China late last week. The U.S jobs reportlast Friday showed a sharp drop in the growth of non-farm payrolls, whileChina’s latest import and export numbers were down.

However,the U.S.-China trade talks appear to be moving closer to a formal agreementfollowing a report over the weekend that the head of China’s central bank saidhis country will not devalue the yuan to boost China’s exports.

U.S.Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, in a rare TV interview on Sunday,reiterated the U.S. economic outlook is favourable and said there is no need toraise or lower interest rates at present.

The key outside marketstoday see the U.S. dollar index near steady and not farbelow last week’s new high for the year. The overall strength of the greenbackthis year has been a negative element for the metals markets. Meantime, Nymex crude oil prices are firmer andtrading around $56.50 a barrel. Crude has been trading sideways for the pasttwo weeks. The International Energy Agency today reported the U.S. will becomethe world’s largest oil exporter by 2021—surpassing both Saudi Arabia andRussia. The U.S. is already the world’s largest oil producer, due to the boomin shale-oil production.