US gold ends tad down but weak dollar supports

NEW YORK, Sept 10 (Reuters) - U.S. gold futures ended down
a hair on Thursday as investors took profits, but the metal
retraced initial lows as the dollar weakened, increasing
bullion's appeal as a currency hedge.

For the latest detailed report, click on [GOL/].

GOLD

* December gold GCZ9 settled down 30 cents at $996.80 an
ounce on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile
Exchange.

* Ranging from $983.20 to $1,000.50.

* The U.S. dollar turned lower against euro and remained at
near one-year lows against a basket of major currencies, as
higher global equities bolstered risk appetite. The greenback
has now fallen for four straight sessions. [USD/]

* Profit-taking seen in gold on follow-through selling as
prices failed to stay above $1,000 an ounce on Wednesday, and
stop-loss orders amid uncertainties also pressured - George
Gero, vice president of RBC Capital Markets Global Futures.

* Much of last week's sharp rise in gold's price was due to
the unwinding of Barrick's hedges, and that explained why gold
retreated on Thursday - Dennis Gartman, independent investor
and publisher of the Gartman Letter.

* Barrick Gold (ABX.TO)(ABX.N), the world's top gold miner,
will issue $3 billion in stock to eliminate all of its
fixed-price gold hedges and a portion of its floating hedges.
However, analysts said the deal would not boost the gold
market. [ID:nN08295810]

* Output decrease from top producer South Africa limited
losses. South African gold output fell 7.6 percent in volume
terms in July compared with the same month in the previous year
- official data.

* COMEX estimated final volume at 119,437 lots.

* Gold/oil ratio at 13.82, down from the previous session's
13.89.

* Spot gold XAU= at $995.35 an ounce at 2:20 p.m. EDT
(1820 GMT), against $991.15 in the previous session in New
York.

* London afternoon gold fix XAUFIX= was at $990.75 an
ounce.

SILVER

* December silver SIZ9 finished up 20 cents, or 1.2
percent, at $16.670 an ounce on strong investment demand.

* Silver futures recently have outperformed gold, helped by
better economic sentiment. Usually less-liquid silver has the
characteristics of both precious and industrial metals.

* Ranged from $16.060 to $16.720 an ounce.

* COMEX estimated final volume at 28,932 lots.

* Spot silver XAG= at $16.64 an ounce, versus its
previous close of $16.27.

* London silver fix XAGFIX= was at $16.09 an ounce.

PLATINUM

* October platinum PLV9 ended down $1.70 at $1,289.70 an
ounce on profit-taking after recent precious metals rally.

* Spot platinum XPT= at $1,285.50 an ounce against
$1,276.

PALLADIUM

* December palladium PAZ9 closed down $1.60 at $293.45 an
ounce, tracking platinum.

* Spot palladium XPD= at $288 an ounce, against its
previous finish of $290.50.

Close Change Pct 2008 YTD

Chg Close Pct Chg
US gold GCZ9 996.80 -0.30 0.0 884.30 12.7
US silver SIZ9 16.670 0.200 1.2 11.295 47.6
US platinum PLV9 1289.70 -1.70 -0.1 941.50 37.0
US palladium PAZ9 293.45 -1.60 -0.5 188.70 55.5
Prices at 2:19 p.m. EDT (1819 GMT)
Gold XAU= 995.55 4.40 0.4 878.200 13.4
Silver XAG= 16.65 0.38 2.3 11.30 47.3
Platinum XPT= 1285.50 9.50 0.7 924.50 39.0
Palladium XPD= 288.00 -2.50 -0.9 184.50 56.1
Gold Fix XAUFIX= 990.75 -8.75 -0.9 836.50 18.4
Silver Fix XAGFIX= 16.090 -0.150 -0.9 14.760 9.0
Platinum Fix XPTFIX= 1279.00 0.00 0.0 1529.00 -16.4
Palladium Fix XPDFIX= 290.00 0.00 0.0 365.00 -20.5
(Reporting by Frank Tang; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)