Gold hit another record high Monday amid global economic uncertainty, while oil and most other commodities were flat or lower on bearish demand outlooks.

Soft commodities were one of the few bright spots, with sugar hitting a seven-month high on signs of strengthening demand. Cotton set a fresh 15-year top on further fund buying.

But grains ended mostly lower as U.S. crop fundamentals lost some of the bullish edge that had pushed them to multi-year highs in recent weeks. Wheat futures in Chicago, for instance, lost 2 percent as rains fell on parched growing grounds in Russia, which had been ravaged by drought for months, boosting the outlook for U.S. wheat.

On a broader perspective, analysts said a steady U.S. dollar , weak stock markets and absence of key macroeconomic data left investors clueless on direction.

“Most complexes show prices stuck in tight trading ranges, with little indication that they will break out one way or another,” Edward Meir, senior commodities analyst at MF Global in New York, wrote in a commentary on oil.

Analysts said investors should get better direction later in the week from U.S. consumer confidence numbers due on Tuesday, weekly unemployment claims data scheduled for Thursday and construction spending and vehicle sales figures to be released on Friday.

The 19-commodity Reuters-Jefferies CRB index settled a touch higher — up 0.2 percent — after the run-up in gold and sugar and the steady price of oil smoothened out the losses in wheat.