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
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, 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.
* 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
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
was at $1,003.50.SILVER
* December silver
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
was at $16.15, versus its previous
finish of 16.32 an ounce. * London silver fix
at $16.21 an ounce.PLATINUM
* January platinum
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
was at $1,276, compared with its
previous finish of $1,277.50.PALLADIUM
* December palladium
closed up $5.25, or 1.8
percent, at $298.20 an ounce as investors looked for bargains
after recent losses. * Spot palladium
was at $294.50, against its
previous close of $287.50.Close Change Pct 2008 YTD
Chg Close % Chg US gold1004.30 3.6 0.4 884.3 13.6 US silver 16.230 -0.210 -1.3 11.295 43.7 US platinum 1283.40 -5.90 -0.5 941.50 36.3 US palladium 298.20 5.25 1.8 188.70 58.0 Prices at 2:24 p.m. EDT (1824 GMT) Gold 1002.50 4.00 0.4 878.20 14.2 Silver 16.15 -0.17 -1.0 11.30 42.9 Platinum 1275.50 -2.00 -0.2 924.50 38.0 Palladium 294.50 7.000 2.4 184.50 59.6 Gold Fix 1003.50 5.50 0.6 836.50 20.0 Silver Fix 16.21 -34.00 -2.1 14.76 9.8 Platinum Fix 1269.00 6.00 0.5 1529 -17.0 Palladium Fix 292.00 1.00 0.3 365.0 -20.0 (Reporting by Frank Tang; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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