Palladium breaks $2,000 barrier anew

Palladium prices rose on Tuesday, as the US dollar edged higher against most currencies, while concerns about the Omicron variant eased.

Global markets are now preparing for the end of 2021, after returning from the Christmas holidays.

Concerns about the pandemic are still dominating markets due to the spread of the Omicron variant in several countries, especially in Europe.

US President Joe Biden confirmed last week that his administration would not impose a full lockdown due to Omicron, but asked citizens to follow precautionary measures during the holidays.

The dollar index rose against a basket of major currencies by less than 0.1% to 96.1 points as of 14:36 GMT, after hitting a high of 96.1 points and a low of 96.00 points.

Palladium March futures rose by 2.8% to $2,001.5 an ounce, as of 14:37 GMT.