Staff of Reuters Read for 2 minutes Reuters, 1 July – On Thursday, gold prices fell slightly as the dollar held near a three-month high, with investors awaiting the release of a major U.S. jobs report later this week for clues on what it might imply for monetary policy. * As of 0117 GMT, spot gold was down 0.1 percent to $1,769.11 per ounce. Gold futures in the United States declined 0.2 percent to $1,768.10. * The dollar remained steady near a three-month high reached earlier in the day. For holders of foreign currencies, a higher dollar makes greenback-priced metals more expensive. In June, private payrolls in the United States surged more than predicted, as businesses scrambled to ramp up production and services in the face of a quickly recovering economy. President Robert Kaplan of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said on Wednesday that he wants the Fed to begin lowering its economic stimulus before the end of the year, in part to make an abrupt policy tightening less likely later. A rate hike by the Fed will raise the opportunity cost of owning bullion, reducing its appeal. Investors are now waiting for Friday’s non-farm payrolls report in the United States. * As prices decreased in the international market, India lowered the base import price of palm oil, soyoil, gold, and silver, the government said in a statement late Wednesday. * Silver gained 0.1 percent to $26.14 per ounce, palladium lost 0.5 percent to $2,764.68 per ounce, and platinum lost 0.6 percent to $1,065.74. EVENTS/DATA (GMT) France (0750) Markit Manufacturing PMI for June Germany (0755) Markit/BME Mfg PMI June 0800 EU Markit Mfg Final PMI June 0830 UK Markit/CIPS Mfg PMI Final June 0900 EU Unemployment Rate May 1230 US Initial Jobless Clm Weekly 1345 US Markit Mfg PMI Final June 1400 US ISM Manufacturing PMI June 1400 US ISM Manufacturing PMI June 1400 US ISM Manufacturing PMI June 1400 US ISM Manufacturing PMI June 1400 US ISM Manufacturing PMI June 1400 (Reporting by Arundhati Sarkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)/n
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