Indian gold importers await US jobs report for price direction
* Local demand for gold is expected to pick up from April, when weddings and festivals get underway, and will continue till June.
* India, the world's biggest buyer of gold, raised the import duty on the yellow metal to 6 percent from 4 percent earlier, from Jan. 21.
* At 0931 GMT, the actively traded gold for April delivery on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) was 0.06 percent higher at 29,405 rupees per 10 grams.
* The rupee, which traded stronger on Friday, plays an important role in determining the landed cost of the dollar-quoted yellow metal.
* Overseas gold hovered around $1,580 an ounce on Friday, ahead of the release of a key U.S. job market report.
* "A few customers are booking good quantity due to rupee appreciation, but mad rush is not there... all are waiting for U.S. jobs report," said a dealer with a state-run bullion dealing bank.
* Since the Federal Reserve has pegged its monetary policy to the unemployment rate, a surprise in jobs data would fuel speculation over the Fed's next
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