Gold dips for first time in three sessions on Fed's Yellen remarks

(Reuters) - Gold prices edged lower on Tuesday, after closing up in the two previous sessions, as optimistic remarks on the U.S. labor market by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen strengthened the possibility of further rate hikes next year.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold > shed 0.2 percent to $1,136.96 an ounce by 0100 GMT.

* U.S. gold futures fell 0.3 percent to $1,139.10 per ounce.

* Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Monday the U.S. labor market has improved to its strongest in nearly a decade, suggesting wage growth is picking up and underscoring expectations the central bank will continue to raise interest rates next year.

 

* The Bank of Japan is likely to keep monetary policy steady and give a more upbeat view of the economy on Tuesday, reinforcing market expectations that its future policy direction could be an increase - not a cut - in interest rates.

* China's economic growth is expected to cool in 2017 as its top leaders flag tighter monetary policy and further curbs to clamp down on asset price bubbles, especially in the property market, even as a sharp drop in the yuan has fed fears of market turmoil.

* Holdings of the SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 1.06 percent to 828.10 tonnes on Monday. [GOL/ETF]

* Macquarie cuts gold and silver price forecasts for 2017. Macquarie sees average 2017 gold price forecast at $1,216 an ounce (down 11.9 percent from previous forecast), sees 2018 gold outlook at $1,375 an ounce.

* Singapore Exchange Ltd announced that its Singapore kilobar gold contract has become the world's first Shariah-compliant gold futures

(Reporting by Swati Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin)