FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,929.04 per ounce, as of 0014 GMT.
* U.S. gold futures were little changed at $1,929.00.
* The dollar index dipped 0.1%, making greenback-priced bullion cheaper for holders of other currencies.
* The Fed is set to again slow the pace of its interest rate increases at a Jan. 31-Feb. 1 policy meeting while also signalling that its battle against inflation is far from over.
* With lower rates translating into lesser returns on interest-bearing assets such as government bonds, investors may prefer zero-yield gold. * Physical gold demand in China moderated last week in the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday, while in Japan and Singapore some consumers sold their bullion to cash in on high domestic prices.
* SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 0.51% to 917.05 tonnes on Friday.
* Spot silver gained 0.2% to $24.00 per ounce, platinum fell 0.2% at $1,041.75, and palladium rose 1% to $1,744.86.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
1500 EU Consumer Confidence Flash Jan (Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V)
