NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. gold futures slipped
Thursday as the dollar recovered and copper eased more following
its weaker performance in the previous session.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Gold prices slipped under $1,680 an ounce, extending a
fall from 2-week highs into a third session as the dollar
recovered from near a one-month low and crude oil values turned
lower.
* Copper was off following a 2 percent fall in the previous
session although doubts over demand in China and the pace of
economic recovery in the U.S. made investors cautious.
* China's Minmetals Resources plans to use its C$1.3 billion
Anvil Mining acquisition as a platform to buy more copper assets
in central and southern Africa.
* South Korea's Hyundai Steel expects the steel market to
recover in the second half of this year led by a pickup in
automobiles and construction despite high oil prices, weak
Chinese demand and euro zone debt issues.
ECONOMY
* Germany's March unemployment rate fell to 6.7 percent from
6.8 percent in February.
* The March euro zone economic sentiment index fell 0.1 to
94.4, compared with the expected 94.6.
* Final fourth quarter U.S. GDP at 0830 EDT (1230 GMT) is
seen unchanged from the second estimate at 3.0 percent.
* U.S. initial jobless claims at 0830 EDT are expected at
350,000, up from last week's 348,000.
MARKETS
* Global stocks dipped after disappointing U.S. data
tempered the outlook for the world's biggest economy while the
price of oil stabilized following some sharp losses.
* The euro fell against the dollar as concerns about
contagion from the euro zone debt crisis overshadowed a solid
Italian bond auction.
Prices at 7:17 a.m. EDT (1117 GMT)
LAST NET PCT YTD
CHG CHG CHG
US gold 1655.60 -2.30 -0.1% 5.7%
US silver 31.825 -0.006 0.0% 14.0%
US platinum 1635.40 0.20 0.0% 16.8%
US palladium 647.50 0.15 0.0% -1.3%
US copper 377.05 -2.20 -0.6% 9.7%
(Reporting by Rene Pastor; Editing by Alden Bentley)
