COMEX gold pauses rally after attaining 5K mark on Tuesday morning in Asia. Weakness in greenback contributed to recent rally in the yellow metal although profit booking at higher levels is capping gains in the counter. Moreover, geopolitical tensions and uncertainty could keep demand for safe-haven assets supported. The release of the US retail sales data will be in the spotlight on Tuesday. The counter is currently quoting at $5051.90 an ounce, down over half a percent on the day. Last week, CME Group yet again raised margin requirements for gold and silver futures contracts to mitigate risks associated with heightened volatility in prices. Both initial and maintenance margins for COMEX 100 Gold Futures have been increased to 9% from 8% for Non-Heightened Risk Profile (Non-HRP) accounts, CME Group said on Thursday. Initial and maintenance margins for COMEX 5000 Silver Futures have also been raised to 18% from 15%. CME has so far increased margins three times over last two-weeks.