* Gold looks set to post nearly 4 pct monthly gain
* More data needed to confirm U.S. out of recession -trader
* SPDR Gold holdings flat, iShares Silver rises 1.5 pct
By Chikako Mogi
TOKYO, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Gold prices rose slightly toward
$1,050 per ounce on Friday as the dollar remained pressured,
buffing up bullion's allure as an alternative to the falling
U.S. currency.
Gold is now down about 2 percent from record highs above
$1,070 hit on Oct. 14, but looks set to end October with a rise
of more than 3.9 percent on the month, and is up one percent on
the week.
Investors began taking profits on gold when the dollar took
a break from its fall after hitting 14-month lows against the
euro this week. But the prospect of U.S. interest rates staying
very low into next year kept alive selling pressure on the
dollar.
Gold gained 2 percent on Thursday after data showing the
U.S. economy returning to growth hit the dollar and drove Wall
Street into rally mode.
"We need to see more data to confirm that the U.S. economy
is really coming out of recession. The market is likely to stay
in recent ranges until next week's U.S. nonfarm payrolls data,"
said Ronald Leung, director of Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong
Kong.
"People are buying at the dip, and some demand was
confirmed when the market underwent a correction, but it was
not in large volume. If the market went down to $1,000, we
might see more demand," he said.
Leung said he expected gold prices to face a near-term
resistance around $1,050, with prices staying in the
$1,025-$1,070 range set since gold hit record highs.
Spot gold <XAU=> was up 0.1 percent at $1,046.50 per ounce
by 0315 GMT, compared to New York's notional close of
$1,044.95.
U.S. gold futures for December delivery <GCZ9> were little
changed at $1,047.20, compared to $1,047.10 an ounce on the
COMEX division of NYMEX.
Investors found silver more appealing after prices had hit
three-week lows this week.
The world's largest silver-backed exchange-traded fund, the
iShares Silver Trust <SLV>, said its bullion holdings stood at
8,744 tonnes by Thursday, up 131.43 tonnes, or 1.5 percent,
from the previous day. []
It is the first rise in about two weeks and the biggest
percentage rise in about four months.
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. 29, unchanged from the previous business day, after
falling for three days in a row. []
Other precious metals rose sharply on Thursday following
gold's rise, with silver <XAG=> climbing more than 3 percent,
platinum <XPT=> nearly 2 percent and palladium <XPD=> nearly 3
percent.
On Friday, spot silver <XAG=> was at $16.61 per ounce, off
a new three-week low of $16.08 marked earlier on Thursday.
Platinum <XPT=> was at $1,325.50 per ounce after touching a new
three-week low of $1,297.00 on Wednesday.
Precious metals prices at 0238 GMT
Metal Last Change Pct chg YTD pct chg
Turnover
Spot Gold 1046.65 1.70 +0.16 18.92
Spot Silver 16.61 -0.02 -0.12 46.73
Spot Platinum 1326.00 -11.50 -0.86 42.27
Spot Palladium 326.50 1.00 +0.31 76.96
TOCOM Gold 3083.00 72.00 +2.39 19.82
46952
TOCOM Platinum 3913.00 83.00 +2.17 47.55
13548
TOCOM Silver 490.00 16.90 +3.57 53.46
651
TOCOM Palladium 965.00 48.00 +5.23 75.45
322
Euro/Dollar 1.4844
Dollar/Yen 91.30
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)
