BENGALURU (Reuters) - Gold held firm on Thursday as the U.S. dollar hovered near 10-month lows on bets that central banks in Europe and Britain are preparing to scale back monetary stimulus.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was nearly flat at $1,249.58 per ounce at 0041 GMT.
* U.S. gold futures for August delivery rose 0.1 percent to $1,249.70 per ounce.
* The U.S. dollar languished at its lows for the year on Thursday as a drumbeat of hawkish comments from major central banks signalled the era of easy money might be coming to an end for more than just the United States. [MKTS/GLOB] [USD/]
* European Central Bank President Mario Draghi intended to signal tolerance for a period of weaker inflation, not an imminent policy tightening, when his comments sent the euro higher this week, sources familiar with Draghi's thinking said on Wednesday.
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(Reporting by Nithin Prasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin)