April 9 (Reuters) - Gold on Friday held near a more than
one-month peak scaled in the previous session, with bullion set
for a weekly gain of over 1%, as a weakness in the dollar and
Treasury yields offered support along with a surprise jump in
U.S. jobless claims.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was steady at $1,755.91 per ounce by 0151
GMT, having hit a high since March 1 at $1,758.45 an ounce on
Thursday.
* The metal has gained nearly 1.5% for the week so far,
after posting losses in the previous two weeks.
* However, U.S. gold futures fell 0.1% on Friday to
$1,756.20 per ounce.
* The U.S. dollar fell to a two-week low against a basket of
currencies after the number of Americans filing new unemployment
claims increased for the second straight week, last week.
* U.S. Treasury yields fell on Thursday, pressured by fresh
dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
* Powell noted that an expected rise in prices this year is
likely to be temporary, and warned that an uptick in COVID-19
cases could slow the recovery.
* The U.S. central bank intends to maintain its ultra-easy
stance even though data suggest the economy revving up.
* The European Central Bank policymakers discussed a smaller
rise in bond purchases, according to meeting accounts.
* U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday
encouraged major economies to add substantial new fiscal
stimulus to ensure a robust recovery.
* Silver stood unchanged at $25.45 and was set for
biggest weekly gain in four.
* Palladium was down 0.2% to $2,618.51. Platinum
fell 0.3% to $1,225.95 but was set for its second
straight weekly gain.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0130 China PPI, CPI YY March
0600 Germany Industrial Output MM Feb
0730 UK Halifax House Prices MM March
(Reporting by Diptendu Lahiri in Bengaluru; editing by
Uttaresh.V)
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