Gold price steadies ahead of ECB meeting

Platinum and palladium stayed close to their highest levels in almost a year and a half, boosted by a brightened economic outlook. The world's largest PGMs miner Anglo American Platinum also rejected criticism of its plan to mothball two mines and slash up to 14,000 jobs to restore profits.

Gold hit an intraday high at $1,680.95, before easing to stand flat on the day at $1,676.70 an ounce by 1038 GMT.

U.S. gold futures for April delivery fell 0.1 percent to $1,676.60 an ounce, while a weaker Japanese yen against the dollar sent gold futures on Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) to another record at 5,081 yen a gram.

Analysts said investors will be alert for comments from ECB president Mario Draghi about any negative impact of a strong currency on the fragile euro zone economy.

"It is going to be interesting to see if the ECB says anything about currencies today," BofA Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Widmer said.

"But you need a bit more in terms of inflation pressures or monetary interventions by central banks in emerging markets for gold buyers to come back into the market," he added.

The euro, which often dictates gold's movements, could fall if Draghi voices concerns about the single currecy's recent sharp rise. But the central bank is seen as unlikely to contemplate an interest rate cut.

Bullion has struggled to

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