PRECIOUS-Gold firms above $1,800/oz, propped up by virus woes

* SPDR Gold Trust holdings rise 0.3% on Monday
* Dollar falls as euro gains
* Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus:
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https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser

(Adds comments, updates prices)
By Eileen Soreng and Shreyansi Singh
July 14 (Reuters) - Gold prices firmed above the key $1,800
level on Tuesday, underpinned by concerns over mounting
coronavirus cases globally as many regions reintroduced curbs to
restrict the outbreak.
Spot gold XAU= gained 0.4% to $1,809.83 per ounce by 2:25
pm EDT (1825 GMT). U.S. gold futures GCcv1 settled mostly
unchanged at $1,813.40.
"There's an anticipation of more widespread shutdowns which
is drawing people back to gold to hedge against the
uncertainty," said Jeffrey Sica, founder of Circle Squared
Alternative Investments.
"There's going to be a high likelihood that we'll see the
U.S. Federal Reserve not only continue with the economic
stimulus programmes, but in some cases accelerate them so that
helps gold prices significantly."
Many parts of Asia are finding cause to pause the reopening
of their economies as a jump in virus cases fans fears of a
second wave, while California clamped new restrictions on
businesses as infections soared. The World Health Organization on Monday warned the pandemic
would only get worse if countries failed to adhere to strict
precautions.
Gold prices have risen over 19% so far this year, mainly
benefiting from lower interest rates and widespread stimulus
measures from major central banks as it is widely viewed as a
hedge against inflation and currency debasement.
The dollar fell as the euro rose on optimism about the
possibility of a European Union stimulus package. USD/
Investors kept an eye on a growing U.S.-China rift over the
South China Sea region, with Beijing's announcement that it will
slap sanctions on Lockheed Martin for involvement in the latest
U.S. arms sale to Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Reflecting investor appetite, holdings of SPDR Gold Trust
GLD , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund,
rose 0.3% to 1,203.97 tonnes on Monday. GOL/ETF
Elsewhere, palladium XPD= eased 0.7% to $1,966.50 an ounce
and platinum XPT= edged down 0.3% to $826.05.
Silver XAG= gained 0.4% to $19.16, after hitting its
highest since September 2019 on Monday.