April 8 (Reuters) - Gold prices eased on Wednesday as the
U.S. dollar firmed, while signs of a slowdown in the new
coronavirus cases in major hot spots hurt the metal's safe-haven
appeal and pushed it further away from a near one-month high hit
in the previous session.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= slipped 0.2% to $1,644.99 per ounce by
0049 GMT, having risen to its highest since March 10 on Tuesday.
U.S. gold futures GCv1 eased 0.7% to $1,671.30.
* The dollar .DXY was up 0.2% against key rivals, making
gold costlier for investors holding other currencies. USD/
* Asian stock futures were under pressure after a late,
sharp sell-off on Wall Street and as oil prices slumped.
MKTS/GLOB USD/
* The novel coronavirus has infected more than 1.3 million
people and killed over 76,000 globally, and though the numbers
are still rising in many highly populated countries, tentative
improvements have given hope. * The central Chinese city of Wuhan began allowing people to
leave on Wednesday for the first time since it was locked down
76 days ago, despite fears of a second wave of infection if such
restrictions are eased too soon. * Even as doctors and nurses struggled to save an onslaught
of gravely ill coronavirus patients, the number of new COVID-19
hospitalizations appeared to be levelling off in New York state,
the U.S. epicentre of the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo said
on Tuesday. * U.S. job openings fell in February, suggesting the labour
market was losing momentum even before stringent measures to
control the outbreak shuttered businesses, throwing millions out
of work. * The White House hopes Congress will nearly double the size
of its programme to support ailing small businesses by the end
of the week, as some of the nation's largest lenders still sit
on the sidelines and others remain unable to access the system.
* Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday declared a
state of emergency to fight coronavirus infections in major
population centres and rolled out a nearly $1 trillion stimulus
package to soften the economic blow. * Japan's core machinery orders unexpectedly rose in
February, suggesting business investment remained resilient even
as companies braced for a major jolt to demand from the
pandemic. * SPDR Gold Trust GLD , the world's largest gold-backed
exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 0.15% to 985.71
tonnes on Tuesday. GOL/ETF
* Palladium XPD= gained 0.6% to $2,188.27 per ounce, while
platinum XPT= slipped 0.7% to $729.03 and silver XAG= fell
0.9% to $14.86.