(Reuters) - Gold prices edged lower on an uptick in the dollar on Tuesday, hovering above the two-week low hit on Friday amid signals of a hike in U.S. interest rates this month.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold fell 0.1 percent, to $1,224.86 per ounce at 0029 GMT. The metal hit $1,222.51, the lowest since Feb. 15, on Friday.
* U.S. gold futures for April delivery were little changed at at $1,225 at 19:29 EST (0:29 GMT).
* The dollar index was up 0.1 percent at 101.73.
Also Read
* U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said last week that the Fed was poised to lift benchmark U.S. rates provided jobs and inflation data held up, comments seen as cementing plans for an increase at the Fed's March 14-15 meeting. [FED/DIARY]
* Prices on most U.S. interest rates futures rose modestly on Monday in early U.S. trading as traders bet on a strong likelihood the Fed will raise rates at its meeting next week.
* Market participants will be closely eyeing the U.S. monthly jobs report on Friday, which includes the non-farm payrolls, seen rising by 190,000 in a Reuters poll.
* New orders for U.S.-made goods increased for a second straight month in January, suggesting the recovery of the manufacturing sector was gaining momentum.
* The market will also await monetary policy decisions from the European Central Bank. The ECB will stay in the background through upcoming elections in key European countries and is only likely to signal a shift away from its ultra-easy monetary policy toward the end of this year or early next, a Reuters poll found.
* Francois Fillon fought off a rebellion that had threatened to end his candidacy for the French presidency on Monday as party leaders swung behind the centre-right former prime minister despite allegations that he had misused public funds.
* Holdings of the SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.45 percent to 836.77 tonnes on Monday. [GOL/ETF]
* Newmont Mining on Monday became the latest of the world's biggest gold miners to invest in Canada's Yukon territory, the site of a famous gold rush 120 years ago.
* U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada conferred on North Korea's missile launches in a telephone call on Monday, the Pentagon said, adding both leaders agreed the launches were "unacceptable and irresponsible."
DATA AHEAD (GMT)0100 China Forex reserves Feb0900 Germany Industrial orders Jan1000 Euro zone GDP Revised Q41330 U.S. International trade Jan2000 U.S. Consumer credit Jan
(Reporting by Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content