* Gold up 20 pct for the year
* Softer equities in Asia also supporting gold
* Goldman sees limited gold upside, few Fed surprises
(Adds Goldman's new forecasts, updates prices)
By Manolo Serapio Jr
MANILA, May 11 (Reuters) - Gold drifted away from two-week
lows on Wednesday as the dollar surrendered some gains, but
analysts said bullion is unlikely to rise sharply ahead with
losses in the greenback seen limited.
Appetite for gold appeared to have eased after the metal
failed to convincingly breach the $1,300 resistance level last
week. But it was up 20 percent for the year as expectations for
a near-term increase in U.S. interest rates have faded.
Spot gold XAU= was up 0.6 percent at $1,273 an ounce by
0656 GMT, after touching a low of $1,257.25 on Tuesday, its
weakest since April 28.
The dollar slipped versus a basket of major currencies
.DXY , making dollar-priced assets such as gold cheaper for
holders of other currencies. Softer Asian equities also helped
gold. MKTS/GLOB
Mark To, head of research at Wing Fung Financial Group in
Hong Kong, said that $1,300-$1,400 would be a reasonable price
range for bullion for the rest of the quarter.
Gold is supported largely by expectations that the next U.S.
interest rate increase will only happen later in the year as Fed
policymakers take note of challenging global economic
conditions, he said.
"The current situation is favourable to gold but it is not
overwhelmingly favourable," said To, adding that the U.S.
economy appears to be in good shape overall. "That's why people
take some profits along the way."
U.S. gold for June delivery GCcv1 gained 0.8 percent to
$1,274.70 an ounce.
"Looking ahead, we see limited upside for gold pricing given
the limited room for the Fed to surprise to the downside,
limited room for the dollar to depreciate, and limited room for
China to drive (emerging markets) currency strength to
contribute to dollar weakness," Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) said in a report.
Still, Goldman increased its gold price forecasts for coming
months, citing stronger net speculative positioning and a
recently weaker dollar. The bank raised its three-, six- and
12-month price outlooks for gold to $1,200, $1,180 and $1,150,
from $1,100, $1,050 and $1,000 per ounce earlier.
Other precious metals also advanced, with spot silver XAG=
gaining 1.2 percent to $17.30 an ounce, platinum XPT= up 1.3
percent at $1,059.70 and palladium XPD= 1 percent higher at
$597.