Sept 4 (Reuters) - Gold prices rose on Friday as a slightly
weaker U.S. dollar and a pullback in global equities lifted
demand for the safe-haven metal, while investors awaited the
release of U.S. non-farm payrolls data for August.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= was up 0.4% at $1,937.84 per ounce by
0102 GMT, after falling to a near one-week low on Thursday.
Bullion has declined 1.5% so far this week.
* U.S. gold futures GCv1 rose 0.2% to $1,942.20.
* The dollar index .DXY fell 0.1% against its rivals after
rising to a near one-week high in the previous session, making
gold less expensive for holders of other currencies. USD/
* Asian stocks were set to open in the red on Friday, after
Wall Street's benchmarks posted their biggest one-day declines
in nearly three months. MKTS/GLOB
* The head of the Chicago Federal Reserve on Thursday called
on Congress to deliver more fiscal aid and signaled U.S.
monetary policy would be eased further and interest rates kept
at ultra-low levels for years to help the economy recover its
pre-pandemic strength. * Lower interest rates decrease the opportunity cost of
holding non-yielding bullion.
* More than 26.15 million people have been reported to be
infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 863,863 have
died, according to a Reuters tally. * U.S. weekly jobless claims fell below 1 million last week
for the second time since the pandemic started, but that did not
signal a strong recovery in the labor market. * Investors now await U.S. payroll figures due later in the
day for further signs of labor market stagnation.
* Silver XAG= gained 1.1% to $26.92 per ounce, platinum
XPT= rose 0.6% to $894.97 and palladium XPD= climbed 0.5% to
$2,295.98.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0600 Germany Industrial Orders MM July
1230 US Non-Farm Payrolls MM Aug
1230 US Unemployment Rate Aug
1230 US Average Earnings YY Aug