* Gold nears 3-week low as investors cash out * Uncertainties over global economic outlook supportive By Risa Maeda TOKYO, March 4 (Reuters) - Gold edged down on Wednesday, approaching a three-week low near $900 per ounce, as some investors cashed out to seek bargains in recently battered assets, including stocks. But doubts over the outlook for the global economy were providing support to the yellow metal. Investors are waiting for U.S. economic data, including a monthly jobs report later this week, to gauge the health of the world's biggest economy. Spot gold was at $913.80 an ounce by 0243 GMT, down 0.2 percent from its notional close in New York. It earlier touched a low of $909.75. On Tuesday, gold fell as low as $904.30, the lowest since Feb. 10, dragged down by forced liquidation related to a volatile equities market and technical weakness. It hit an 11-month high of $1,005.40 on Feb. 20. "There are signs that some investors are unwinding some gold longs to shift away from safety," said Tatsufumi Okoshi, senior economist at Nomura Securities Co's financial and economic research center. U.S. shares fell again on Tuesday, but their losses were narrower than before. Also, non-gold commodities markets were showing resilience after a sell-off recently, he said. "But that does not mean the allure of gold is fading. There is persistent fear that stock markets could be hit again," Okoshi said. Some will also be watching the monthly private U.S. payroll survey from ADP Employer Services later in the day, which serves as a forerunner to Friday's U.S. non-farm payrolls report. A Reuters poll estimated the ADP national employment index of would point to a loss of 610,000 jobs in February. Japan's Nikkei stock average .N225 fell 0.8 percent on Wednesday, with other exporters slipping despite a weaker yen on growing worry about demand as the global recession bites. [.N] Oil prices dipped on Wednesday after rising nearly 4 percent on Tuesday on expectations that producer group OPEC will cut output again. [O/R] Demand for gold-backed exchange-traded funds has stalled in the past week, curbing aggressive buying in the physical market. The steady flow of money into ETFs has been key in pushing gold prices higher since the beginning of the year. The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the SPDR Gold Trust GLD, said its holdings have held at a record 1,029.29 tonnes since Feb. 26. Precious metals prices at 0239 GMT Metal Last Change Pct chg YTD pct chg Turnover Spot Gold 914.25 -1.45 -0.16 43.82 Spot Silver 12.78 -0.02 -0.16 -0.54 Spot Platinum 1034.00 3.00 +0.29 -8.66 Spot Palladium 191.00 -0.50 -0.26 -42.47 TOCOM Gold 2892.00 -27.00 -0.92 18.28 27003 TOCOM Platinum 3245.00 -61.00 -1.85 -23.72 5418 TOCOM Silver 397.40 0.60 +0.15 -19.44 181 TOCOM Palladium 612.00 9.00 +1.49 -51.24 156 Euro/Dollar 1.2491 Dollar/Yen 98.57 TOCOM prices in yen per gram, except TOCOM silver which is priced in yen per 10 grams. Spot prices in $ per ounce. (Additional reporting by Miho Yoshikawa; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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