PRECIOUS-Gold steady above $1,200/oz, ETF eases slightly

                                
 TOKYO, July 16 (Reuters) - Gold prices held above $1,200 an
ounce on Friday but trading was subdued as investors looked for
catalysts to break out of the recent narrow ranges.
                                
 FUNDAMENTALS
                                
 * Spot gold <XAU=> was at $1,208.80 per ounce as of 0014
GMT, compared to the late New York level of $1,207.75.
                                
 * At current levels, gold was set for a weekly fall of 0.2
percent.
                                
 * U.S. gold futures for August delivery <GCQ0> were at
$1,209.30 per ounce, little changed from $1,208.30 on the
COMEX.
                                
 * Gold prices were largely flat on Thursday, as the metal
continues in the $100 range that has prevailed since the start
of May.
                                
 * Gold rallied to an all-time high of $1,264.90 an ounce on
June 21, but the metal has not risen above $1,230 in two weeks
since then.
                                
 * The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD.P>, said holdings eased to 1,314.211
tonnes as of Thursday, down 0.608 tonnes from the previous
business day. [GOL/SPDR]
                                
 MARKET NEWS
                                
 * The Nikkei stock average <.N225> shed 0.7 percent on
Friday, falling below support, as exporters slipped in the face
of reinforced concerns about the pace of economic recovery and
a stronger yen. [.T]
                                
 * U.S. stocks ended little changed on Thursday, recouping
losses late in the day, led by a sudden turnaround in Goldman
Sachs and BP. [.N]
                                
 * The dollar index <.DXY> was near 2-1/2-month lows as
investors continued to cut long positions in the greenback and
shifted towards the euro. [USD/]
                                
 DATA EVENTS
                                
 * The following data is expected on Friday: [COM/WEEK]
                                
 - Bank of Japan monthly economic report for July (0500 GMT)
                                
 - Euro zone foreign trade for May. (0900 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. CPI/core CPI for June. (1230 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. real earnings for June. (1230 GMT)
                                
 - Thomson Reuters/U. of Mich July sentiment survey (1355
GMT)
                                
 - U.S. ECRI weekly. (1430 GMT)
                                
 RELATED NEWS > Wall St reform clears Congress, goes to
Obama [ID:nN15226910] > US jobless claims fall, manufacturing
stumbles [ID:nN15196157] > JPMorgan took risk in Q2 commods,
earned less [ID:nN15224842]
                                
 PRICES
                                
 Precious metals prices at 0019 GMT
 Metal         Last      Change  Pct chg   2 Day chg   MA 30
RSI
 Spot gold    $1208.80    $1.05  +0.09%    +4.40%   $1227.30 
49
 Spot silver    $18.31    $0.05  +0.27%    +0.72%     $18.35 
56
 Spot plat    $1525.25    $3.10  +0.20%    +0.38%   $1547.25 
49
 COMEX gold   $1209.20    $0.90  +0.07%    +0.18%   $1194.76 
46
 TOCOM gold      3,411      -27  -0.79%    -1.95%      3,531 
40
 TOCOM plat      4,332      -14  -0.32%    -1.81%      4,469 
42
 Currencies
 Euro/dlr       $1.291  -$0.002  -0.19%    +1.37%
 Dlr/yen         87.46     0.01  +0.01%    -1.07%
 TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce.
 (Reporting by Chikako Mogi; Editing by Michael Urquhart)