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By Bloomberg

Gold climbed for a third day, heading for the longest run of gains in almost six weeks, as euro-area finance ministers prepared to meet in Brussels amid an impasse over Greece’s financing.

Bullion for immediate delivery rose as much as 0.3 percent to $1,233.82 an ounce and was at $1,231.77 at 2:15 p.m. in Singapore, Bloomberg generic pricing showed. A third day of advances would be the longest streak since the period to Jan. 6.

Gold is 4 percent higher this year after posting two years of losses. Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis leads a delegation to Brussels on Monday after officials failed to resolve the issue of funding Europe’s most indebted state last week. While Greece wants a six-month bridge arrangement to replace the current bailout and allow time to discuss a new deal, creditors say Alexis Tsipras’s government must abide by agreements struck by previous Greek administrations.

“Concerns about Greece’s negotiations with its lenders should continue to support a safe-haven bid for gold,” Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. wrote in a note.

Finance ministers held their first talks with Varoufakis last week, with no deal beyond a willingness to keep talking. Tsipras’s Syriza party was elected Jan. 25 on a platform of ending austerity, raising concern that failure to agree on a new debt pact may trigger the country’s exit from the euro.

Silver for immediate delivery retreated 0.2 percent to $17.3327 an ounce. Platinum rose 0.7 percent to $1,215.63 an ounce, while palladium added 0.1 percent to $792.50 an ounce.