US gold turns higher as dollar weakens on jobs data

NEW YORK, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Gold futures turned higher in
choppy trade on Thursday, reclaiming the $1,000-an-ounce level
after the dollar fell in response to U.S. employers cutting
more jobs than expected in September.

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

GOLD

* December gold futures GCZ9 up $6.10 at $1,006.80 an
ounce at 10:29 a.m. EDT (1429 GMT) on the COMEX division of the
New York Mercantile Exchange.

* Ranged from $987 to $1,008.50.

* Gold futures closely tracking currency market movements.
The dollar dropped against major currencies after an anemic
September jobs data fueled fears that the pace of U.S. economic
recovery would be slow. [USD/]

* Gold initially fell, as the dollar rose versus the euro
earlier in the session after the release of the jobs data
triggered a flight-to-safety trade.

* Recent buyers at over $1,000 an ounce could make the gold
futures market too long, and the December contract must
overcome strong upward resistance at $1,025 an ounce - George
Gero, vice president of RBC Capital Markets Global Futures.

* The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the
SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), said its holdings stood at 1,095.327
tonnes as of Oct. 1. As of Sept. 30, it was up 1.22 tonnes from
the previous business day. XAUEXT-NYS-TT

* Gold-to-oil ratio at 14.34, up from the previous
session's 14.17.

* COMEX estimated 10 a.m. volume at 96,361 lots.

* Spot gold XAU= was at $1,006.70 versus $998.50, which
was the previous session's late New York quote.

* London afternoon gold fix XAUFIX= was at $1,003.50.

SILVER

* December silver SIZ9 down 11 cents at $16.33 an ounce,
down with other industrial metals.

* Ranged from $15.920 to $16.495.

* COMEX estimated 10 a.m. volume at 20,384 lots.

* Spot silver XAG= was at $16.41, versus its previous
finish of 16.32 an ounce.

* London silver fix XAGFIX= at $16.21 an ounce.

PLATINUM

* January platinum PLF0 down $4 at $1,285.30 an ounce,
weighed down by sharply weaker U.S. auto sales in September
after the conclusion of the brief "Cash for Clunkers" rebate
program.

* Spot platinum XPT= was at $1,275, compared with its
previous finish of $1,277.50.

PALLADIUM

* December palladium PAZ9 up $4.25, or 1.5 percent, at
$297.20 an ounce as investors looked for bargains after recent
losses.

* Spot palladium XPD= was at $292.50, against its
previous close of $287.50.
Prices at 10:34 a.m. EDT (1434 GMT)

Last Change Pct 2008 YTD

Chg Close % Chg
US gold GCZ9 1008.10 7.40 0.7 884.30 14.0
US silver SIZ9 16.470 0.030 0.2 11.295 45.8
US platinum PLF0 1285.20 -4.10 -0.3 941.50 36.5
US palladium PAZ9 296.00 3.05 1.0 188.70 56.9
Gold XAU= 1006.95 8.45 0.8 878.20 14.7
Silver XAG= 16.43 0.11 0.7 11.30 45.4
Platinum XPT= 1278.00 0.50 0.0 924.50 38.2
Palladium XPD= 292.50 5.00 1.7 184.50 58.5
Gold Fix XAUFIX= 1003.50 5.50 0.6 836.50 20.0
Silver Fix XAGFIX= 16.21 -34.00 -2.1 14.76 9.8
Platinum Fix XPTFIX= 1269.00 6.00 0.5 1529.00 -17.0
Palladium Fix XPDFIX= 292.00 1.00 0.3 365.00 -20.0
(Reporting by Frank Tang; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)