Gold shed 1% on Tuesday in volatile trade as investors booked profits after prices hit a two-week high early in the session, although losses were limited by a slide in equities due to worries about a virus outbreak in China. The precious metal pared losses and climbed back up above the $1,550 level, buoyed by a low interest-rate environment and lingering geopolitical tensions. Spot gold was down 0.2% at $1,558.60 per ounce by 1:40 p.m. EST (1840 GMT), after hitting its highest level since Jan. 8 at $1,568.35 in early trading. U.S. gold futures settled 0.2% lower at $1,557.90. “We’ve had a fairly decent period of ... (full story)