New Delhi, March 16 -- Gold and silver rates today were trading mixed on Monday, March 16, as tensions in the Middle East entered the third week.

Spot gold rate today fell more than 1% during early Asian trading hours, slipping below the $5,000 level. The yellow metal touched an intraday low of $4,971.30 on Monday. Meanwhile, spot silver plunged 2.23% to $79.5 per ounce on March 16.

Rising energy prices and mounting inflation concerns stemming from the conflict have reduced expectations that the Federal Reserve and other global central banks will begin cutting interest rates soon.

Crude oil prices surged after US strikes targeted Iran's key oil-export hub, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran on energy infrastructure across several ...