* Gold inches up as euro bounces against dollar
* Deadly attacks in India have yet to spur safe-haven
buying
* SPDR bullion holdings rise
(Updates prices, adds quotes)
By Lewa Pardomuan
SINGAPORE, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Gold edged up Thursday after
the euro bounced against the U.S. dollar, but a series of
attacks in India's financial capital that killed at least 101
people has yet to ignite safe-haven buying.
Suspected Islamist gunmen launched attacks in the heart of
Mumbai, taking many foreigners hostage in two of the city's
plushest hotels. Authorities closed stock, bond and foreign
exchanges as commandos and armed police laid siege to the
gunmen. []
Gold <XAU=> was trading at $814.55 an ounce, up $2.80 an
ounce from New York's notional close on Wednesday. It rallied
to a six-week high of $830.10 on Tuesday but has since
struggled to sustain the uptrend due to volatile oil and
currency markets.
The physical sector barely moved in Singapore, with no
signs of buying from consumers in India after the attacks.
Premiums for gold bars were unchanged at between $1.50 and $3
to the spot London prices. <GOLD/ASIA1>
"They (India) used to buy quite a lot, I think two weeks
ago, but not now. It's pretty slow," said Beh Hsia Wah, a
dealer at United Overseas Bank in Singapore.
Gold, which was often bought by investors in times of
uncertainty, was 21 percent below a record high of $1,030.80
struck in March but has staged a dramatic rebound since
tumbling to a 13-month low of $680.80 in October.
"Until we know more about who's involved, what their aims
and ambitions are, it may well be considered to be an isolated
incident," said Darren Heathcote of Investec of Investec
Australia in Sydney, referring to the attacks in India.
"Therefore, it's less likely to affect the rest of the
world, and therefore, the gold price," said Heathcote, adding
that gold was likely to stay in the current range of $770 to
$825.
India, the world's largest gold consumer, has suffered a
wave of bomb attacks in recent years. Most have been blamed on
Islamist militants, although police have also arrested
suspected Hindu extremists thought to be behind some of the
attacks.
The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD>, said it held758.12 tonnes of gold in
bank as of Nov 26, up 3.06 tonnes fromNov. 21. []
"I am not sure about the situation in India and how it may
affect gold. But from the gold charts, the ranges are narrowing
again, so I guess we may see a much clearer direction maybe
today or tomorrow," said a dealer in Singapore.
The euro firmed to $1.2923 <EUR=> after falling as low as
$1.2819 the previous session, partly on pessimistic views about
the impact of a European 200 billion euro stimulus plan on the
financial crisis. []
Trading is expected to stay subdued throughout the day with
U.S. markets closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Platinum <XPT=> was trading at $855.50 an ounce, up $2.00
from New York's notional close.
New York gold futures <GCZ8> added $6.0 an ounce to
$814.5.
Precious metals prices at 0646 GMT
Metal Last Change Pct chg YTD pct chg
Turnover
Spot Gold 814.55 2.80 +0.34 -2.18
Spot Silver 10.28 -0.01 -0.10 -30.40
Spot Platinum 855.50 2.00 +0.23 -43.72
Spot Palladium 192.00 2.50 +1.32 -47.83
TOCOM Gold 2484.00 20.00 +0.81 -18.82
20594
TOCOM Platinum 2639.00 -20.00 -0.75 -50.57
10414
TOCOM Silver 315.20 3.70 +1.19 -41.74
212
TOCOM Palladium 600.00 0.00 +0.00 -55.59
105
Euro/Dollar 1.2925
Dollar/Yen 95.07
TOCOM prices in yen per gram, except TOCOM silver which is
priced in yen per 10 grams. Spot prices in $ per ounce.
(Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
