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* Spot gold may edge up to $1,205 per ounce- technicals
* Investors eye U.S. Fed monetary policy meeting
* Dollar index down 0.1 percent
By Arpan Varghese
Jan 30 (Reuters) - Gold rose on Tuesday on increased safe
haven demand as U.S. President Donald Trump's tough stance on
immigration rattled global markets, with prices finding further
support from a weaker dollar.
Traders were also awaiting the U.S. Federal Reserve's
two-day meeting on monetary policy starting on Tuesday for cues
on U.S. interest rate hikes.
Spot gold rose 0.4 percent to $1,200.00 per ounce by
0307 GMT, while U.S. gold futures edged up 0.5 percent
to $1,199.6.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback
against a basket of currencies, was down 0.1 percent at 100.34.
Asian shares were on the defensive on Tuesday as stringent
curbs on travel to the United States ordered by President Donald
Trump brought home to investors that he is serious about putting
his radical campaign pledges into action.
"There are talks that the ban could affect the tech and
energy sectors and this suggests that there could be some growth
challenges if the ban is prolonged, so the current risk aversion
(driving gold markets) comes as no surprise," OCBC analyst
Barnabas Gan said.
Spot gold may edge up to $1,205 per ounce, as it has pierced
resistance at $1,197, according to Reuters technical analyst
Wang Tao.
Traders were also eyeing a meeting of the U.S. Fed on
Tuesday and Wednesday. The Fed, which raised interest rates in
December, has signaled as many as three rate rises in 2017.
Higher rates could mean a higher U.S. currency, which makes
dollar-denominated gold more expensive for holders of other
currencies, potentially dampening demand.
"The market sentiment is for the Fed to stay pat in the
upcoming meeting," Gan said.
In other precious metals, spot silver was up 0.2
percent, at $17.14 per ounce, while platinum edged up by
0.5 percent, to $990.30.
Palladium rose 0.7 percent, to $745.40 per ounce.
(Reporting by Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Joseph
Radford and Richard Pullin)