SINGAPORE, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Gold was little changed just below a near-two-week high on Thursday, as the dollar firmed and traders awaited minutes of the last Federal Reserve policy meeting for clues about the timing of a U.S. rate hike.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was trading at $1,144.50 an ounce by 0039 GMT. The metal had climbed to $1,153.30 in the previous session, its highest since Sept. 24, before closing 0.1 percent lower as the dollar gained.
* The U.S. dollar benefited from the greater risk appetite and rose against the euro and Swiss franc.
* Bullion's losses were capped by views that the Fed would delay the first rate hike in nearly a decade until 2016, after a recent string of weak U.S. economic data.
* The minutes from the Fed's last meeting in September will be released at 1800 GMT, with markets watching out for U.S. central bank officials' views on the global economy and the impact on U.S. monetary policy.
* Gold had earlier come under pressure from expectations that the Fed may raise interest rates this year, potentially lifting the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion. A delayed rate could support prices in the near term.
* The return of top consumer China from a week-long holiday could also lend support to prices on Thursday.
* SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.26 percent to 687.20 tonnes on Wednesday.
* Among other precious metals, silver XAG= eased 0.7 percent after a four-day rally that saw the metal hitting a 3-1/2-month high of $16.10 on Wednesday.
* Palladium XPD= fell 1 percent after hitting its highest since June earlier this week.
* Global miner and commodities trader Glencore GLEN.L has closed its Eland platinum mine in South Africa resulting in 818 job losses due to falling prices and difficult operating conditions, it said on Wednesday.
MARKET NEWS
* The dollar stood tall against a basket of currencies in early Asian trading on Thursday, though it remained in its recent range as investors awaited the Fed minutes.
DATA AHEAD (GMT)
0600 Germany Trade data Aug
1230 U.S. Weekly jobless claims
1800 Minutes of Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Sept 16-17
PRICES AT 0039 GMT
Metal
Last
Change Pct chg
Spot gold
1144.5
-0.5
-0.04 Spot silver
15.955 -0.115
-0.72 Spot platinum
941
0.25
0.03 Spot palladium 689.75
-7.25
-1.04 Comex gold
1144.5
-4.2
-0.37 Comex silver
15.99 -0.104
-0.65
COMEX gold and silver contracts show the most active months