PRECIOUS-Gold steady; investors eye U.S. non-farm payroll data
* Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust rise
* Platinum hits fresh high since June 27
* U.S. jobs report due at 1230 GMT
(Updates prices)
By Eileen Soreng
BENGALURU, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Gold prices on Friday held onto gains from the previous session as investors remainedcautious ahead of a U.S. jobs report, which could provide clueson the pace of further interest rate hikes.
Spot gold was flat at $1,232.81 per ounce, as of 0702GMT. Prices climbed to their highest since Oct. 26 at $1,237.39per ounce on Thursday, as the dollar sagged.
U.S. gold futures were down 0.3 percent at $1,235.1per ounce.
"The industry is being a little cautious ahead of the jobsdata today ... It's certainly a time for them to take a bit ofstock after the volatility in the equities markets," said ANZanalyst Daniel Hynes.
According to a Reuters survey of economists, non-farmpayrolls probably rebounded by 190,000 jobs in October afterFlorence depressed restaurant and retail payrolls in September.
"Friday's non-farm payroll number will be doubly importantsince another miss in the number, as was the case last month,could generate further weakness in the greenback and give gold ashot at taking out the $1,245 high," said INTL FCStone analystEdward Meir in a note.
In the wider markets, the dollar steadied on Friday afterpulling back from 16-month highs in the previous session asinvestors cautiously moved back into riskier assets. Meanwhile, Asian shares jumped after the U.S. and Chinesepresidents expressed optimism about resolving their bruisingtrade war, ahead of a high-stakes meeting planned at the end ofNovember in Argentina.Gold prices have slipped more than 9 percent from theirApril peak as investors turned to the dollar as a safe-havenwith the trade war unfolding against a backdrop of higher U.S.interest rates.
Spot gold may retrace to a support at $1,224 per ouncebefore, following its failure to break a resistance at $1,237,according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largestgold-backed exchange-traded fund, rose 0.90 percent to 760.82tonnes on Thursday, biggest since late August. Among other precious metals, platinum climbed 1.1percent to $865.80 per ounce, having touched its highest sinceJune 27 at $866.30 earlier in the session. The metal was upabout 4 percent for the week so far and was on track to mark itsbiggest weekly gain since the week ended Sept. 21.
Palladium rose 0.6 percent to $1,099.90 per ounce andsilver was down 0.2 percent at $14.72 per ounce.
(Reporting by Eileen Soreng in Bengaluru; Editing by GopakumarWarrier and Rashmi Aich)
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