PRECIOUS-Gold edges down amid euro zone worries; Fed eyed

* Investors await clues on easing from Fed meet
* Spot platinum drop to 3-month low
* Gold-platinum spread at 2-month high
* Spot gold may revisit $1,619.99 - technicals
* Coming up: U.S. consumer confidence, April; 1400 GMT

(Adds comment, details; updates prices)
By Rujun Shen
SINGAPORE, April 24 (Reuters) - Gold edged lower on Tuesday
as investors waited for a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting to shed
some light on the central bank's monetary policy amid caution
over a resurfacing crisis in Europe.
The two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting is
scheduled to kick off later in the day. Though the Fed is
expected to adopt a wait-and-see approach, its comments will be
put under scrutiny as investors seek clues on possible
quantitative easing measures.
"If the Fed fails to hint at more quantitative easing, we
may see a sharp drop in gold prices," said Hou Xinqiang, an
analyst at Jinrui Futures in the southern Chinese city of
Shenzhen.
Expectations of further monetary easing pushed gold to near
$1,790 an ounce in February, its highest since November. But a
string of upbeat economic data and less dovish comments from Fed
officials have since shaved off gains and helped sink bullion to
near $1,610 in early April.
Spot gold inched down 0.1 percent to $1,635.49 an
ounce by 0624 GMT, after falling to $1,619.99 on Monday - its
lowest since April 5. The $1,620-$1,630 level has proved to be a
key support region.
U.S. gold edged up 0.2 percent to $1,636.30.
"Gold's short-term outlook is lackluster, as the economic
problems in Europe again triggered worries among investors and
put pressure on financial markets, and gold is not spared," the
Jinrui analyst said.
Asian shares edged lower and the euro traded steady, as
concerns over the euro zone debt crisis weighed on market
sentiment.

Uncertainty over Europe's political will to battle through
its debt crisis heightened, after the Dutch Prime Minister
tendered his government's resignation on Monday, while the
prospect of a Socialist president in France triggered worries
that Paris might loosen its austerity commitment.

Investors were also disappointed at the latest data that
showed the euro zone's business slump deepened at a far faster
pace than expected in April, suggesting the economy will stay in
recession at least until the second half of the year.

Anxiety over the euro zone has sent investors to seek safety
in havens such as the dollar and U.S. Treasuries, while gold has
moved largely in tandem with riskier assets in recent months.
On the physical market, the sharp drop overnight prompted
some buying, but the flow of orders has slowed as prices
rebounded, dealers said.
Spot silver lost 0.3 percent to $30.72 an ounce, off
a three-month low of $30.45 hit in the previous session.
"The sentiment is rather bearish, and buyers are waiting for
prices to fall further to near $30," said a Shanghai-based
trader.
He added that market participants are reluctant to build up
their books ahead of a long weekend in China and a holiday in
Japan next week.
Spot platinum dropped to a three-month low of
$1,544.75 an ounce, and later recovered to $1,550.25.
The gold-platinum spread widened to above $84, its highest
in more than two months.

Precious metals prices 0624 GMT
Metal Last Change Pct chg YTD pct chg Volume
Spot Gold 1635.49 -2.14 -0.13 4.58
Spot Silver 30.72 -0.09 -0.29 10.94
Spot Platinum 1550.25 -3.25 -0.21 11.29
Spot Palladium 671.00 3.40 +0.51 2.84
COMEX GOLD JUN2 1636.30 3.70 +0.23 4.44 11223
COMEX SILVER MAY2 30.74 0.20 +0.67 10.10 5240
Euro/Dollar 1.3169
Dollar/Yen 80.94
COMEX gold and silver contracts show the most active months

(Editing by Himani Sarkar)