PRECIOUS-Gold steadies, hovers near $1,090/oz

                                
 TOKYO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Gold steadied near $1,090 an
ounce on Thursday after easing in the previous session when the
Federal Reserve voiced cautious optimism on the U.S. economy,
eroding some of the precious metal's appeal as an inflation
hedge.
                                
 FUNDAMENTALS
                                
 * Spot gold <XAU=> was up 0.2 percent at $1,089.60 per
ounce as of 0011 GMT, compared to New York's notional close of
$1,087.25.
                                
 * U.S. gold futures for February delivery <GCG0> rose 0.4
percent to $1,089.00 per ounce, compared to $1,084.50 at the
close on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile
Exchange.
                                
 * Traders and fund managers were positive about gold this
year as a whole, with prices seen averaging $1,150.50 an ounce
in a Reuters poll of 60 analysts. [ID:nLDE60O1WG]
                                
 * The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund,
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD>, said its holdings stood at 1,111.922
tonnes as of Jan. 27, unchanged from the previous business day.
[GOL/SPDR]
                                
 * The world's largest silver-backed exchange-traded fund,
the iShares Silver Trust <SLV>, said its silver holdings stood
at 9,384.98 tonnes as of Jan. 27, inching up 0.5 percent from
the previous business day. [ID:nTOE60Q0B2]
                                
 MARKET NEWS
                                
 * The U.S. dollar retained broad gains on Thursday,
hovering just below six-month highs on the euro, boosted by
speculation over higher interest rates in the U.S. and a
general investor apathy towards high-yielding currencies.
[USD/]
                                
 * The Federal Reserve on Wednesday offered a guardedly
upbeat view of the U.S. economy and renewed its pledge to keep
interest rates near zero despite the objection of one policy
maker. [ID:nN27180815]
                                
 * U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal
Reserve said it will keep interest rates near zero and ahead of
President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.
[ID:nN27194867]
                                
 * U.S. President Barack Obama will deliver his annual State
of the Union address at 0200 GMT.
                                
 DATA EVENTS
                                
 * The following data is expected on Thursday: <ECON>
                                
 - Italy business confidence, Jan    (0830 GMT)
                                
 - German unemployment, Jan          (0900 GMT)
                                
 - Euro zone economic sentiment, Jan (1000 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. durable goods for December   (1330 GMT)
                                
 - Weekly U.S. jobless claims        (1330 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. revised Dec building permits      (N/A)
                                
 RELATED NEWS
 > Gold stays lower after Fed policy statement           
[GOL/]
 > Prices hit multi-month lows on dollar rally       
[COM/WRAP]
 > Gold to squeeze out gains in '10, flatten next year
[ID:nLDE60O1WG]
 > Platinum, palladium shine in 2010-11, demand bloom
[ID:nLDE60O1WD]
 > Barrick chairman sees upward gold trend intact
[ID:nLDE60Q1TS]
                                
 PRICES
 Precious metals prices at 0009 GMT
 Metal         Last      Change  Pct chg    2 day chg  MA 30
RSI
 Spot gold    $1089.35    $2.10  +0.19%    -5.92%   $1112.41
31
 Spot silver    $16.59    $0.05  +0.30%    -8.75%     $17.63
23
 Spot plat    $1507.50    $5.00  +0.33%    -1.66%   $1522.90
30
 COMEX gold   $1089.20    $1.00  +0.09%    -0.83%   $1117.12
32
 TOCOM gold      3,161        1  +0.03%    -0.06%      3,284
 TOCOM plat      4,342       20  +0.46%    -0.53%      4,493
 Currencies
 Euro/dlr       $1.403   $0.001  +0.10%    -0.28%
 Dlr/yen         89.96    -0.04  -0.04%    +0.38%
 TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce.
 (Reporting by Miho Yoshikawa; Editing by Himani Sarkar)