* Still stuck near 5-1/2-year trough
* Bullion lost nearly 7 pct in July, fell for 6th straight
week
* Strong U.S. nonfarm payrolls may pressure gold further
* Coming up: U.S. ISM manufacturing PMI at 1400 GMT
(Updates prices)
By Manolo Serapio Jr
MANILA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Gold steadied not far above a
5-1/2-year low on Monday, struggling to scale higher at the
start of the month after its deepest loss in two years in July,
as expectations for a near-term hike in U.S. interest rates kept
sellers nearby.
Gold's rout deepened last month as the dollar strengthened
after upbeat U.S. economic data and comments by the Federal
Reserve signalled it was on course to raise interest rates for
the first time in nine years.
That rate hike could come as early as September, presenting
more downside risk for non-interest yielding gold.
"The story's simple yet powerful enough to inject a bearish
trend for gold," said Barnabas Gan, an analyst at OCBC Bank.
Spot gold XAU= was flat at $1,095.36 an ounce by 0630 GMT.
The metal fell as low as $1,079.50 on Friday, near last month's
trough of $1,077, its weakest since February 2010.
Bullion lost almost 7 percent in July, its steepest monthly
drop since June 2013. It fell for a sixth straight week last
week, its longest retreat since 1999.
Investors are eyeing the monthly U.S. nonfarm payrolls
report on Friday, and a strong print could mean further weakness
for gold, said Gan.
"If indicators show the U.S. economy is improving very
strongly, it does give a cue that gold may breach the $1,000
support," he said.
U.S. gold for December delivery GCcv1 was also unchanged
at $1,095.10 an ounce.
Hedge funds and money managers kept their first bearish
stance in COMEX gold in at least a decade during the week ended
July 28, suggesting the recent mass exodus from bullion was more
than a knee-jerk reaction. ID:nL1N10B265
There is unlikely to be strong technical support for gold
until it hits the February 2010 low of around $1,044, said INTL
FCStone analyst Edward Meir, who expects the metal to trade
between $1,050 and $1,131 through this month.
Amid waning interest in bullion, holdings in SPDR Gold Trust
GLD , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund,
dropped again, to 21.63 million ounces on Friday, the lowest
since September 2008. GOL/ETF
Spot platinum XPT= dropped 0.4 percent and palladium
XPD= gained 0.5 percent, with both not far off multi-year
lows. INTL FCStone's Meir expects continued weakness in August
on more South African supply and slower Chinese car sales.
Spot silver XAG= eased 0.3 percent to $14.73 an ounce.