Gold was little changed on Friday, having slid to its lowest level in 10-weeks in the previous session as the dollar strengthened ahead of the U.S. nonfarm payrolls data due later in the day.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was flat at $1,291.71 per ounce by 0104 GMT, after touching its lowest since Jan. 25 at $1,280.59 in the previous session.
* U.S. gold futures were up 0.1 percent at $1,295.40 an ounce.
* Spot platinum, which surged to its highest since mid-June, 2018 at $901.49 in the previous session, was down 0.5 percent at $893.50 an ounce.
* The dollar rose to a three-week high versus the yen on Friday, lifted by expectations that a protracted trade dispute between the United States and China would be resolved soon.
* Asian share markets consolidated weekly gains on Friday as Sino-U.S. talks dragged on with no concrete conclusions, while caution ahead of U.S. payrolls and a holiday in China and Hong Kong dampened volatility.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States and China were getting very close to a trade deal that could be announced within four weeks, but he issued a warning to Beijing that, absent a pact, it would be difficult to allow trade to continue.
* The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits fell to a nearly half-century low last week, pointing to sustained labor market strength despite slowing economic growth.
* German industrial orders fell at their sharpest rate in more than two years in February as they were hit by a slump in foreign demand, compounding worries that Europe’s largest economy had a weak start to the year.
* Pro-Brexit lawmakers in Britain’s upper house of parliament tried on Thursday to thwart the approval of a new law that would force Prime Minister Theresa May to seek a delay to prevent a disorderly EU exit on April 12 without a deal.
* Goldcorp shareholders approved Newmont Mining Corp’s $10 billion takeover offer on Thursday, removing one of the last remaining hurdles to create the world’s largest gold producer.
* SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.2 percent to 762.55 tonnes on Thursday.
