Silver gains ground, dollar moves little in Asia

Silver futures tilted higher in Asian trade while the dollar index traded flat near September 28 lows, ahead of US retail sales data later today. 

As of 05:20 GMT, silver futures due in December rose 0.06% to $14.62 an ounce, while the dollar index shed 0.05% to 94.97, marking September 28 lows. 

Investors await US retail sales data, expected to have risen 0.7%, up from 0.1% in August, while core sales are estimated with a 0.4% increase, up from 0.3%. 

The Empire State Manufacturing index is expected at 20.4, up from 19 in September, while wholesale inventories are estimated to have increased another 0.5%, adding to the 0.6% addition in July. 

Silver marked the best daily performance last Thursday since September 28, but still sustained the second weekly loss in a row, weighed down by US-China trade worries. 

Last week, the People's Bank of China cut reserve requirements for Chinese banks for the fourth time this year amid attempts to ease policies and bolster spending.