BENGALURU: Gold prices held steady in a narrow range on Friday ahead of a monthly US employment report that should yield further clues on the pace of monetary tightening.

Spot gold edged up 0.2 per cent to $1,202.16 an ounce at 1033 GMT. It had gained 0.9pc so far for the week, on track to mark its biggest weekly gain in six. US gold futures were up 0.4pc at $1,205.70 an ounce.

Gold prices have fallen more than 12pc from a peak in April largely due to strength in the dollar.

Among other precious metals, spot silver rose 0.5pc to $14.63. Palladium was steady at $1,057.80, while platinum rose 0.2pc to $823.49.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2018