Gold held steady above $1,740 an ounce on Friday as the U.S. dollar slipped against other currencies, but investors were likely to take a breather before the outcome of a euro zone summit to solve the region's debt crisis.
Fundamentals
* Gold hardly changed at $1,741.69 an ounce by 0030 GMT, still within sight of an 11-month high of $1,795.69 a n ounce struck in early October.
* U.S. gold for December delivery eased $1.70 to $1,743.00 an ounce.
* European Union leaders took a big stride towards establishing a single banking supervisor for the euro zone, striking a deal under which the bloc's rescue fund could start recapitalising ailing banks next year, a French government source said.
* Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs, one of the biggest banks in commodity trading, has called an end to the oil price super-cycle, reversing years of bullish recommendations, citing a rise in unconventional oil supplies in the United States and Canada.
Market news
* Japan's Nikkei share average dipped at Friday's open, with worse-than-expected earnings from Google Inc GOOG.O and Microsoft Corp MSFT.O prompting profit-taking after the benchmark rallied to a three-week high a day earlier.
The dollar index slipped but was off a one-month low against a basket of major currencies, with dealers awaiting the outcome of the summit of euro zone leaders.
