Dec 18 (Reuters) - Gold eased on Friday, but was on track to
post its third consecutive weekly gain on growing expectations
for additional stimulus measures in the United States.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= fell 0.2% to $1,881.65 per ounce by 0107
GMT, but was up 2.3% so far this week. U.S. gold futures GCv1
dipped 0.1% to $1,887.90.
* U.S. Congressional Republicans and Democrats scrambled to
pass a new round of coronavirus aid on Thursday with lawmakers
from both parties saying that failure to agree was no longer an
option. * An unrelenting U.S. coronavirus surge pushed hospitals
further to their limits as the United States pressed on with its
immunization rollouts and prepared to ship nearly six million
doses of a new vaccine on the cusp of winning regulatory
approval. * A panel of outside advisers to a U.S. regulator
overwhelmingly endorsed emergency use of Moderna Inc's MRNA.O
coronavirus vaccine. * U.S. weekly initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose last
week. * The Bank of Japan is expected to extend on Friday a package
of steps aimed at easing corporate funding strains caused by the
coronavirus. * British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said trade
talks with the European Union were in a "serious situation" and
that no agreement would be reached unless the bloc changed its
position substantially. * Awaiting the outcome of EU and UK trade talks, the Bank of
England kept its stimulus unchanged on Thursday. * Holdings in the SPDR Gold Trust GLD , the world's largest
gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.2% to 1,167.82 tonnes
on Thursday. * Silver XAG= slipped 1% to $25.79 per ounce an ounce.
Platinum XPT= dropped 0.8% to $1,035.91 and palladium XPD=
fell 0.2% to $2,335.04.
DATA AHEAD(GMT)
0700 Germany Nov. Producer Prices
0700 UK Nov. Retail Sales
N/A Bank of Japan rate decision