* Gold long positions being closed -analyst* Silver off 2-1/2-month highs hit in previous session* Platinum down from Thursday's 3-week highs * GRAPHIC-2018 asset returns: tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl (New throughout, updates prices, market activity and comments,adds second byline, NEW YORK dateline)By Renita D. Young and Zandi ShabalalaNEW YORK/LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) - Gold prices eased onFriday and were on track to end the week lower as the dollaradvanced on expectations of higher U.S. interest rates andmarket players grew a bit less worried about global politicaland security risks.Spot goldlost 0.6 percent at $1,336.96 per ounce by1:36 p.m. EDT (1736 GMT), while U.S. gold June futuressettled down $10.50, or 0.8 percent, at $1,338.30. Spot gold washeaded for a weekly decline of nearly 1 percent.Investors were less jittery about geopolitical tensions thathad supported gold prices earlier in the week, notably Syria andNorth Korea. "Of course, the geopolitical risks are still high comparedto the beginning of the year but it seems like they are slightlylower than a few days ago so prices have come off the boiler abit," Capital Economics commodities economist Simona Gambarinisaid.Gold is often used as safe haven in times of uncertainty.Also pressuring bullion, a U.S. central banker said theFederal Reserve should keep raising interest rates this year andnext to keep the economy from overheating and financialstability risks from rising.Higher rates dent the appeal of non-interest yieldingbullion while lifting the dollar, in which it is priced.The dollar indexgained against a basket of majorcurrencies. Investors were also relieved that no new U.S. demands ontrade came out of a summit between Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe and Trump. "Gold is really in a $1,300-$1,360 trading range," said BillO'Neill, partner at Logic Advisors. "Gold is just in a wait andsee pattern now. It's clearly not capable of really floatingup."Meanwhile, spot silverlost 0.5 percent at $17.13 perounce, but up more than 3 percent for the week.Platinumfell 0.6 percent at $927.40 per ounce, ontrack for a 0.6 percent weekly decline.Palladiumadded 1.1 percent at $1,036.50 per ounceending the week nearly 5 percent higher.It recently rose as concerns that supply from No. 1 producerRussia could be disrupted by U.S. sanctions fed into a strongtechnical rebound following the metal's 20 percent fall from itsJanuary record high."We do not envisage palladium being affected by anysanctions because the United States would shoot itself in thefoot by doing so," Commerzbank said, adding the country was alarge palladium importer. (Additional reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru;editing by David Gregorio and Louise Ireland)
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