SINGAPORE, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Gold held below a 3-1/2-month
high on Monday, as mixed U.S. economic data added to uncertainty
over whether the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates this
year.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= was steady at $1,176.11 an ounce by 0052
GMT, after dipping 0.5 percent on Friday on a stronger dollar.
* The metal came under pressure on Friday after data showed
U.S. consumer sentiment rebounded strongly in early October,
suggesting that the economic recovery remained on track despite
headwinds from a strong dollar and weak global
demand. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N12G0QF
* Inflation data on Thursday had also helped the dollar move
away from seven-week lows as it rekindled expectations the Fed
could raise rates for the first time in nearly a decade in
December.
* A separate report on Friday, however, showed industrial
output slipped 0.2 percent on renewed weakness in oil and gas
drilling.
* Before the drop on Friday, gold had rallied to a
3-1/2-month high of $1,190.63 as investors bet the Fed could be
forced to delay a rate hike to next year due to sluggishness in
the U.S. economy amid a slack in the global economy.
* Investors sentiment towards gold has improved in recent
weeks. Hedge funds and money managers raised their bullish bets
in COMEX gold and silver to near five-month highs in the week
ended Oct. 13, U.S. government data showed on Friday.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N12G1XK
* Other data, however, showed a drop in assets of SPDR Gold
Trust, the top gold-backed exchange-traded fund, by 0.89 percent
to 693.75 tonnes on Friday. GOL/ETF
* For the top stories on metals and other news, click
TOP/MTL or GOL
MARKET NEWS
* Asian shares held little changed near two-month highs in
early Monday trade, with investors looking to a range of
economic data from China for clues to exactly how far China's
growth has cooled down. MKTS/GLOB
DATA AHEAD (GMT)
0200 China Urban Investment YTD Sept
0200 China Industrial Output Sept
0200 China Retail Sales Sept
0200 China GDP QQ, YY Q3
1300 US NAHB Housing market Index Oct
PRICES AT 0052 GMT
Metal Last Change Pct chg
Spot gold 1176.11 -0.79 -0.07
Spot silver 16 -0.05 -0.31
Spot platinum 1010.74 -0.25 -0.02
Spot palladium 692.45 -0.77 -0.11
Comex gold 1176.3 -6.8 -0.57
Comex silver 16.01 -0.104 -0.65
COMEX gold and silver contracts show the
most active months