* Gold touches four-week low at $1,121.95/oz
* All eyes on U.S. jobs data for clues on Fed policy
* Assets in SPDR gold fund fall to lowest in three weeks
(Updates prices, adds comment)
By Jan Harvey
LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Gold fell 1 percent to a four-week
low on Monday, sliding for a fifth straight session as prices
came under pressure from a rising dollar and speculation that
the Federal Reserve may lift interest rates this year.
The Fed last week put a December rate rise into play,
dampening earlier talk that a string of downbeat U.S. data and
global growth concerns could push back to next year the first
increase in nearly a decade. ID:nL1N12R2IF
Spot gold XAU= was down 1 percent at $1,122.90 an ounce at
1500 GMT, having earlier touched its lowest since Oct. 2 at
$1,121.95. U.S. gold futures GCv1 for December delivery were
down $13.40 an ounce at $1,122.50.
Traders will be eyeing this week's U.S. economic data
closely, particularly the bellwether non-farm payrolls report on
Friday, for clues on whether or not the Fed will move before the
end of the year.
"We are back to watching U.S. data as the next six weeks'
output most likely will determine the output of the December
FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting," Saxo Bank head of
commodities research Ole Hansen said.
The payrolls report will be particularly scrutinised, he
said. "A stronger than expected number will put the cat among
the pigeons, considering it would be the first above-expectation
number since May."
Rising interest rates would pressure gold as they would
lift the opportunity costs of holding non-yielding assets while
boosting the dollar, in which bullion is priced.
A jump in the dollar heaped pressure onto gold on Tuesday,
with the U.S. unit rising 0.7 percent against the euro. FRX/
U.S. economic data on Monday was tentatively supportive of a
rate hike this year. Manufacturing activity in October hit a
2-1/2 year low, but a rise in new orders offered hope that the
United States might be over the worst. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N12X114
Other data showed construction spending rose in September to
its highest in 7-1/2 years, indicating that the economy remained
on firmer ground despite signs of consumer spending cooling.
Holdings in the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded
fund, the New York-listed SPDR Gold Trust GLD , fell nearly 3
tonnes to 689.28 tonnes on Monday, the lowest in three weeks.
GOL/ETF
"Physically backed gold products (have) hardly recorded
inflows since summer, signalling investor reluctance to return
to the market," Julius Baer said in a note.
Among other precious metals, silver XAG= was down 0.9
percent at $15.24 an ounce, platinum XPT= was down 1.6 percent
at $957.20 and palladium XPD= was down 1.5 percent at $637.75.