Gold extended its retreat on Monday, a session that captured something many investors are still struggling to accept: in the current regime, a flare-up in the Middle East no longer lifts the metal. It pressures it. Spot gold slid 1.5% to $4,025.83 an ounce by 12:12 p.m. ET (1612 GMT), paring an earlier drop of more than 2% that briefly carried prices to within reach of last week's seven-month low. U.S. gold futures for August delivery slipped 1.4% to settle the morning near $4,040.70. The move keeps the metal on course for a fourth consecutive monthly loss, with the decline this month now exceeding 10%. The proximate ... (full story)