FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was down 0.2% at $1,934.10 per ounce, as of 0116 GMT. U.S. gold futures fell 0.7% to $1,940.20.
* The metal has lost about 1.1% this week.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on Thursday to halt contracts supplying Europe with a third of its gas unless they are paid in rouble, his strongest economic riposte so far to crushing Western sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine.
* The dollar index moved higher from a near one-month low, making gold more expensive for other currency holders.
* Investors were looking forward to the March U.S. jobs data, due later in the day, for wage inflation and cues on the monetary policy stance of the Federal Reserve going forward.
* Russia’s gold and foreign currency reserves fell to $604.4 billion, as of March 25, their lowest since August 2021, from $643.2 billion seen before the start of what Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, central bank data showed.
* Spot silver edged 0.2% higher to $24.73 per ounce.
* Platinum was up 0.1% at $984.68, while palladium rose 0.9% to $2,282.94. Both metals were on course for a fourth consecutive weekly loss.
