US gold ends down, safe-haven buying limits losses

NEW YORK, Oct 30 (Reuters) - New York gold futures ended
lower on Friday, but losses were limited on flight-to-quality
buying on the back of a sharp equities sell-off, driven by
renewed worries that the nascent economy recovery might not be
sustainable.

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

GOLD

* December gold GCZ9 settle down $6.70 at $1,040.40 an
ounce on the COMEX division of NYMEX.

* Ranged from $1,049.20 to $1,035.40. December scaled a
record high $1,072 on Oct. 14.

* Gold under pressure as dollar extends gains vs euro due
to a sharp Wall Street sell-off.

* Flight-to-quality buying seen considered gold is holding
up well amid heavy losses of equities - GoldCore.

* Volatility Index .VIX surges over 20 percent to above
30, indicating near-term choppiness in equities market.

* Gold BUGS index .HUI tumbles more than 5 percent in the
wake of a Wall Street sell-off.

* Gold has recently moved in tandem with equities.
Bullion's unusual link to the stock market driven by economic
uncertainties.

* Gold futures posted first weekly loss since the week of
Sept. 25, after four consecutive weekly gains - Reuters data.

* Crude oil drops nearly $3 to $77 a barrel, weighing down
on gold.

* Gold-to-oil ratio at 13.53, up from 13.06 from the
previous session.

* COMEX estimated 1 p.m. volume at 115,602 lots.

* Spot gold XAU= at $1,040.85 an ounce at 2:58 p.m. EDT
(1858 GMT), against $1,044.95 late in New York in the previous
session.

* London's afternoon gold fix XAUFIX= at $1,040.

SILVER

* December silver SIZ9 ends down 40 cents, or 2.4
percent, at $16.255 an ounce, down with gold.

* Ranged from $16.745 to $16.150.

* COMEX estimated 1 p.m. volume at 36,060 lots.

* Spot silver XAG= was at $16.27 versus the $16.63 ounce
level seen late in the previous session in New York.

* London silver fix XAGFIX= at $16.57.

PLATINUM

* January platinum PLF0 finishes down $11.90 at $1,326.30
an ounce on a weaker stock market.

* Spot platinum XPT= was at $1,319.50, compared with late
previous session quote of $1,337.50 in New York.

PALLADIUM

* December palladium PAZ9 closes down $5.05, or 1.5
percent, at $323.25 an ounce, tracking platinum.

* Spot palladium XPD= was at $320, compared with the
previous session's close at $325.50.

Close Change Pct 2008 YTD

Chg Close % Chg
US gold GCZ9 1040.40 -6.7 -0.6 884.3 17.7
US silver SIZ9 16.255 -0.400 -2.4 11.295 43.9
US platinum PLF0 1326.30 -11.90 -0.9 941.50 40.9
US palladium PAZ9 323.25 -5.05 -1.5 188.70 71.3
Prices at 2:57 p.m. EDT (1857 GMT)
Gold XAU= 1041.40 -3.55 -0.3 878.20 18.6
Silver XAG= 16.27 -0.36 -2.2 11.30 44.0
Platinum XPT= 1319.50 -18.00 -1.3 924.50 42.7
Palladium XPD= 320.00 -5.500 -1.7 184.50 73.4
Gold Fix XAUFIX= 1040.00 -4.50 -0.4 836.50 24.3
Silver Fix XAGFIX= 16.57 24.00 1.5 14.76 12.3
Platinum Fix XPTFIX= 1320.00 8.00 0.6 1529 -13.7
Palladium FixXPDFIX= 324.00 3.00 0.9 365.0 -11.2
(Reporting by Frank Tang; Editing by Christian Wiessner)