TOKYO, May 26 (Reuters) - Gold eased on Tuesday, checked by
a recovery in the dollar, but stayed near a two-month high above
$960 hit late last week, while trading activity is expected to
pick up later when British and U.S. players return from a
holiday.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Gold <XAU=> was at $955.75 per ounce at 2357 GMT, down 0.2
percent from New York's notional close of $957.80. It was at
$954.85 in late Asian trade on Monday.
* Markets in the United States and Britain were closed for a
holiday on Monday.
* U.S. gold futures for June delivery <GCM9> fell 0.2 percent
to $956.6 per ounce from Friday's settlement of $958.90 on the
COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
* The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD>, said its holdings stayed at 1,118.76
tonnes as of May 25, unchanged from May 22. []
* South Africa's gold output fell by 10 percent to 49,713.6
kg in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the fourth quarter
of last year. []
MARKET NEWS
* The euro is at $1.4007 <EUR=>, down from $1.4023 in late
Asian trade on Monday after weaker than expected German Ifo
business climate index data suggested any recovery in the euro
zone's biggest economy would take more time. Still, the euro
remains in sight of a five-month high of $1.4051 hit last week.
[]
* The dollar fell to five-month lows against an index of
major currencies <.DXY> last week.
* European shares rose on Monday with Sanofi Aventis leading
pharmaceuticals higher after winning a U.S. contract, and some
analysts choosing to interpret a leading German economic survey
positively. []
* Japan's Nikkei stock average <> is likely to rise on
Tuesday in thin trade, though exporters such as Honda Motor Co
<7267.T> could come under pressure should the yen strengthen
against the dollar.
* Oil prices fell toward $61 a barrel on Monday ahead of an
OPEC meeting in Vienna, where the group was widely expected to
agree to hold output steady. []
DATA EVENTS
* The following data is expected on Tuesday: <ECON>
- Chicago Fed National Activity Index for April (1230 GMT)
- U.S. S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for March (1300 GMT)
- U.S. consumer confidence for May (1400 GMT)
- Richmond Fed May manufacturing, services indexes (1400 GMT)
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PRICES
Precious metals prices at 2353 GMT
Metal Last Change Pct chg Day ago pct MA 30 RSI
Spot gold $955.85 -$1.95 -0.20% +6.56% $860.10 75
Spot silver $14.63 -$0.08 -0.54% +22.12% $11.29 74
Spot plat $1150.00 $0.50 +0.04% -0.22% $1131.03 61
COMEX gold $956.30 -$0.30 -0.03% -0.27% $912.81 81
TOCOM gold 2,936 3 +0.10% +0.72% 2,861 70
TOCOM plat 3,536 -9 -0.25% +0.77% 3,566 50
Currencies
Euro/dlr $1.401 $0.024 +1.74% +2.81%
Dlr/yen 94.84 -0.01 -0.01% -1.22%
TOCOM prices in yen per gram, except TOCOM silver which is priced
in yen per 10 grams. Spot prices in $ per ounce.
(Reporting by Risa Maeda; Editing by Joseph Radford)
