Sept 26 (Reuters) - Gold prices inched higher on Thursday as
investors resorted to bargain hunting after a sharp drop in the
previous session, although a firm dollar limited the gains.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= was up 0.3% at $1,508.61 per ounce, as of
0126 GMT. In the previous session, prices fell 1.8%, their
biggest one-day percentage decline since Sept. 5.
* U.S. gold futures GCv1 were up 0.2% at $1,515.9 per
ounce.
* The dollar index .DXY posted its sharpest daily gain in
three months overnight and held steady in Asian trade as
investors welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's hints of
progress toward a trade deal with China. USD/
* Asian stocks edged higher on hints of U.S.-China trade
progress. MKTS/GLOB
* Trump said on Wednesday a deal to end a nearly 15-month
trade war with China could happen sooner than people think and
that the Chinese were making big agricultural purchases from the
United States, including of beef and pork. * Trump pressed Ukraine's president to investigate a
political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, in
coordination with the U.S. attorney general and Trump's personal
lawyer, according to a summary of a telephone call released by
the Trump administration on Wednesday. * Iranian President Hassan Rouhani demanded on Wednesday
that the United States "pay more" for any agreement that goes
beyond the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Washington abandoned.
* The United States is imposing sanctions on certain Chinese
entities for knowingly transferring oil from Iran, U.S.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in what he called fresh
actions to intensify pressure on Iran. * Chicago Federal Reserve president Charles Evans said on
Wednesday he backed the Fed's two recent rate cuts but feels the
central bank is now "well-positioned" to see how economic data
evolves. * SPDR Gold Trust GLD , the world's largest gold-backed
exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 1.81% to 924.94
tonnes on Wednesday. * South African miner Sibanye-Stillwater SGLJ.J said on
Wednesday it planned to cut around 5,270 jobs, or about 6% of
its workforce, as it restructures its loss-making Marikana
operations that it acquired this year. AHEAD
1230 US GDP Final Q2
1230 US Initial Jobless Claims Weekly