TOKYO, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Gold prices steadied around $1,030 per ounce on Thursday after earlier hitting a new three-week low at $1,025.75, with the topside capped by a recovery in the U.S. dollar.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold <XAU=> edged up to $1,029.00 by 0021 GMT, up 0.2 percent from New York's notional close of $1,026.85.
* On Wednesday it fell below technical support at $1,030 per ounce, as a resurgent dollar eroded the precious metal's standing as an alternative asset. [
]* U.S. gold futures for December delivery <GCZ9> were almost flat at $1,030 per ounce after falling $4.90, or 0.5 percent, to $1,030.50 on Wednesday.
* The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust <GLD>, said its holdings stood at 1,104.434 tonnes as of Oct 28, down 1.22 tonnes or 0.1 percent from the previous business day. It was the third day of delines in a row. [
]* Spot silver <XAG=> inched higher from a new three-week low of $16.08 marked earlier on Thursday. Platinum <XPT=> clawed above $1,300 after touching a new three-week low of $1,297.00 on Wednesday.
MARKET NEWS
* The dollar held firm near its highest in more than two weeks on Thursday, while the yen strengthened broadly as investors took profits on a host of growth-linked trades that had been in vogue in recent months. [
]* U.S. stocks fell in a broad sell-off on Wednesday, sending the benchmark S&P 500 lower for a fourth straight day, after weak data on new home sales heightened concerns about the pace of the economic recovery. [
]* Oil fell more than 2 percent to below $78 a barrel on Wednesday after data showed a surprising build in U.S. gasoline inventories and weak U.S. new home sales, stirring fuel demand concerns in the giant consumer. [
]DATA EVENTS
* The following data is expected on Thursday: <ECON>
- Japan Sept industrial output (2350 GMT)
- ECB's Trichet, Papademos speak (0730 GMT)
- Germany Oct jobless data (0900 GMT)
- Italy Sept wages data (0900 GMT)
- UK Sept consumer credit (0930 GMT)
- UK Sept mortgage lending (0930 GMT)
- Euro zone Oct economic sentiment index (1000 GMT)
- U.S. advance real Q3 GDP (1230 GMT)
- Weekly U.S. jobless claims (1230 GMT)
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner testifies (1330 GMT)
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Precious metals prices at 2347 GMT Metal Last Change Pct chg Day ago pct MA 30 RSI Spot gold $1028.85 $2.00 +0.19% +14.70% $860.10 36 Spot silver $16.15 $0.06 +0.37% +34.81% $11.29 26 Spot plat $1304.00 $0.50 +0.04% -0.61% $1323.25 32 TOCOM gold 3,008 -55 -1.80% -2.78% 3,008 35 TOCOM plat 3,818 -61 -1.57% -3.61% 3,849 35 Currencies Euro/dlr $1.469 -$0.002 -0.12% -0.78% Dlr/yen 90.51 -0.13 -0.14% -1.39% (Reporting by Risa Maeda; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)