The price of gold was little changed Thursday morning as the US dollar was mixed ahead of today's macroeconomic data.
Gold for February delivery, the most actively traded contract, eased $1.00 to $1,682.20 an ounce. Yesterday, gold settled almost flat near a three-week high as the US dollar was mixed after the inflation data.
Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, moved down to 1,334.42 tons from 1,336.83 tons.
Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar was lingering around a 11-month low versus the euro and its 2-week low against sterling. The buck was moving back towards its 30-month high versus the yen and trading flat against the Swiss franc.
In economic news, euro area construction fell further in November, data released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, showed. Construction output declined a seasonally adjusted 4.7 percent year-on-year in November, after falling a revised 3.3 percent in October. Building construction fell 5.3 percent, while civil engineering output declined by 3.3 percent.
The prices of silver and platinum were moving lower in morning deals.
From the U.S., the Commerce Department will release its housing starts report for December at 8:30 am ET. Economists estimate housing starts to come in at an annual rate of 887,000 compared to 861,000 in the previous month. Building permits are expected at 910,000, up from 899,000 in November.
Simultaneously, the Labor Department will release its jobless claims report for the weekended January 12. Economists estimate claims of 368,000, down from 371,000 in the previous week.
