SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold was little changed on Thursday after a two-day decline but a rally in stocks and increasing optimism over global economic growth weighed on the metal's appeal as an alternative investment.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was flat at $1,241.31 an ounce by 0012 GMT. Other precious metals were slightly higher.
* The International Monetary Fund expects global growth to pick up this year, though it said deflation is a "rising risk" as long as economic growth stays below levels that policy-makers believe are optimal.
* U.S. producer prices recorded their largest gain in six months in December as the cost of gasoline rebounded strongly, but there were few signs of any sustained price pressures.
* India has asked jewellers to provide information on purchases of gold bars or jewellery worth more than 500,000 rupees by the end of this month, a move seen keeping a check on big transactions amid rising smuggling.
* South Africa's Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union said it would call a strike in the platinum industry if its members backed such action. AMCU members have voted in favour of a stoppage at Impala Platinum
* Osisko Mining Corp
MARKET NEWS
* Asian shares ticked higher after a set of robust U.S. data and upbeat earnings from Bank of America helped squash concerns of a slowdown in the world's largest economy following disappointing jobs growth in December.
(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Richard Pullin)
