PRECIOUS-Gold inches up, euro-zone debt concerns persist

                                
 SINGAPORE, May 27 (Reuters) - Gold ticked higher on
Thursday after rising about 1 percent the previous day, as
holdings on the SPDR struck a new record high and worries about
Europe's debt woes spurred safe-haven buying by investors.
                                
 FUNDAMENTALS
                                
 * Spot gold <XAU=> was at $1,210.90 an ounce by 0038 GMT,
up $1 from New York's notional close on Wednesday. Gold hit a
record high of $1,248.95 in mid-May as on fears that euro zone
austerity measures could hurt, rather than help, a recovery.
                                
 * The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD>, said its holdings totalled 1,267.626
tonnes as of May 26, from 1,267.322 tonnes a day earlier,
setting a fresh record high. [GOL/SPDR]
                                
 * U.S. gold futures for June delivery <GCM0> fell $2.3 an
ounce to $1,211.1 an ounce.
                                
 MARKET NEWS
                                
* The euro approached a four-year low against the dollar and
an 8-1/2-year low against the yen on Thursday as a sell-off led
by nagging worries about Europe's debt trouble showed no signs
of abating. [USD/]
                                
 * The dollar index was stronger in early Asian trade.
[.DXY]
                                
 * Japan's Nikkei average hit its lowest in six months on
Thursday, with exporters hurt by a stronger yen and after U.S.
stocks fell as news suggesting China was reassessing its
euro-zone debt holdings pushed investors to take profits. [.T]
                                
 * Oil prices jumped 4 percent on Wednesday, the biggest
one-day rise in nearly eight months, as a tentative recovery in
risk appetite lifted broader markets and government data showed
a big bounce higher for U.S. oil demand. [O/R]
                                
 DATA EVENTS
                                
 * The following data is expected on Thursday   <ECON>
                                
- U.S. Initial jobless claims weekly         (1230 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. Corporate profits Q1-P                (1230 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. Real GDP Q1-P                         (1230 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. EIA natural gas stocks                (1430 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. KC Fed survey May                     (1500 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. Chicago Fed survey April              (1600 GMT)
                                
 - Japan CPI core nationwide                  (2330 GMT)
                                
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Precious metals prices at 0038 GMT
 Metal             Last    Change  Pct chg  YTD pct chg
Turnover
 Spot Gold        1210.90    1.00   +0.08     10.51
 Spot Silver        18.05    0.04   +0.22      7.25
 Spot Platinum    1517.50   -1.00   -0.07      3.44
 Spot Palladium    434.00   -2.50   -0.57      7.03
 TOCOM Gold       3515.00    6.00   +0.17      7.86       
22608
 TOCOM Platinum   4417.00    9.00   +0.20      0.82        
7637
 TOCOM Silver       52.90    0.10   +0.19      2.32         
366
 TOCOM Palladium  1263.00  -32.00   -2.47      8.41         
153
 Euro/Dollar       1.2186
 Dollar/Yen         89.99
 TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce.
  (Reporting by Lewa Pardomuan; Editing by Ed Lane)