US gold ends up as dollar weakens on payrolls data

NEW YORK, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Gold futures ended higher after
a choppy session on Friday, 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 settled up $3.60 at
$1,004.30 an ounce on the COMEX division of the New York
Mercantile Exchange.

* Ranged from $987 to $1,008.80.

* Gold futures closely tracked 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/]

* Metals investors are focusing on the trends in the
dollar, which is being used as a gauge for risk appetite, but
the dollar's upside is fairly limited, and that will in turn
keep the metals markets supported - Tom Pawlicki, precious
metals and energy analyst at MF Global.

* 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 14.40, up from the previous
session's 14.17.

* COMEX estimated final volume at 135,593 lots.

* Spot gold XAU= was at $1,004.30 an ounce at 2:24 p.m.
EDT (1824 GMT) 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 ended down 21 cents, or 1.3
percent, at $16.23 an ounce, down with other industrial
metals.

* Ranged from $15.920 to $16.495.

* COMEX estimated final volume at 32,943 lots.

* Spot silver XAG= was at $16.15, versus its previous
finish of 16.32 an ounce.

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

PLATINUM

* January platinum PLF0 finished down $5.90 at $1,283.40
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 $1,276, compared with its
previous finish of $1,277.50.

PALLADIUM

* December palladium PAZ9 closed up $5.25, or 1.8
percent, at $298.20 an ounce as investors looked for bargains
after recent losses.

* Spot palladium XPD= was at $294.50, against its
previous close of $287.50.

Close Change Pct 2008 YTD

Chg Close % Chg
US gold GCZ9 1004.30 3.6 0.4 884.3 13.6
US silver SIZ9 16.230 -0.210 -1.3 11.295 43.7
US platinum PLF0 1283.40 -5.90 -0.5 941.50 36.3
US palladium PAZ9 298.20 5.25 1.8 188.70 58.0
Prices at 2:24 p.m. EDT (1824 GMT)
Gold XAU= 1002.50 4.00 0.4 878.20 14.2
Silver XAG= 16.15 -0.17 -1.0 11.30 42.9
Platinum XPT= 1275.50 -2.00 -0.2 924.50 38.0
Palladium XPD= 294.50 7.000 2.4 184.50 59.6
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 -17.0
Palladium FixXPDFIX= 292.00 1.00 0.3 365.0 -20.0
(Reporting by Frank Tang; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)