By Rujun Shen SINGAPORE, June 6 (Reuters) - Gold strengthened on Monday, extending gains made in the previous session, as a disappointing U.S. jobs data fueled fears of a slowdown in recovery of the world's biggest economy and a softer dollar lent support. U.S. employers hired the fewest number of workers in eight months in May and unemployment rate rose to 9.1 percent, stoking worries that the economic growth may be faltering, supporting sentiment in gold which is seen as a safe-haven investment during economic uncertainties. [ID:nOAT004818] "The weak U.S. data has increased the possibility of a third round of quantitative easing," said Ong Yi Ling, an analyst at Phillip Futures. "I think it is premature to say we will see a third round. But if the Fed (U.S. Federal Reserve) signals that there may be, it will be the catalyst pushing gold to $1,550 and beyond." Spot gold edged up 0.3 percent to $1,545.75 an ounce by 0607 GMT, building on three consecutive weeks of gains. U.S. gold GCcv1 gained 0.3 percent to $1,547.40. Trading was thin as markets in China, Hong Kong and South Korea were shut on a public holiday, traders said. When the Fed announced the second round of quantitative easing, known as the QE2, in November last year, gold prices scored record highs for four consecutive sessions. Before any clear clue on further quantitative easing, gold is likely to be trapped in the range between $1,520 to $1,550, traders said. Technical analysis also indicated that spot gold faced resistance at $1,553 an ounce, Reuters market analyst Wang Tao said. [ID:nL3E7H6049] The U.S. dollar was stuck near a one-month low hit against a basket of major currencies in early Asia trade, finding no support after the disappointing jobs data bolstered expectations that U.S. interest rates will stay low for longer. The weakness in the dollar is likely to buoy prices of commodities, as a soft dollar makes commodities cheaper for holders of other currencies. Investors also continued to watch the ongoing Greek debt crisis for trading cues. International lenders said on Friday that the country was likely to get a vital slice of aid in July to avoid default while the European Union raised the prospect of expanding the bailout of the euro zone state.[ID:nLDE7520MP] Spot silver rose 1.5 percent to $36.75 in thin holiday trade, after dropping to a 1-1/2 week low of $35.13 in the previous session. Silver prices were nearly 26 percent lower than its record high of $49.51 hit on April 28, but still up 19 percent on the year, compared to gold's 9-percent rise. The price drop has attracted some investors. Money managers raised their bullish bets in gold and silver last week, U.S. regulator data showed Friday. [ID:nN03176967] "We have seen some short covering," said a Singapore-based trader, "Generally the market will probably be buying metals on dips after the payrolls number." Holdings in the iShares Silver Trust , the world's largest silver-backed exchange-traded fund, dropped to an eight-month low of 9,885.4 tonnes by June 3. Precious metals prices 0607 GMT Metal Last Change Pct chg YTD pct chg Volume Spot Gold 1545.75 3.95 +0.26 8.90 Spot Silver 36.75 0.54 +1.49 19.09 Spot Platinum 1821.70 10.55 +0.58 3.07 Spot Palladium 784.45 4.25 +0.54 -1.88 TOCOM Gold 4003.00 21.00 +0.53 7.35 48485 TOCOM Platinum 4768.00 24.00 +0.51 1.53 6746 TOCOM Silver 95.00 1.50 +1.60 17.28 1671 TOCOM Palladium 2044.00 53.00 +2.66 -2.53 256 COMEX GOLD AUG1 1547.40 5.00 +0.32 8.86 7409 COMEX SILVER JUL1 36.78 0.59 +1.63 18.88 4216 Euro/Dollar 1.4636 Dollar/Yen 80.31 TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce. COMEX gold and silver contracts show the most active months

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