Sept 23 (Reuters) - Gold prices inched lower on Monday, as
equities gained after the U.S. Trade Representative described
last week's Sino-U.S. trade talks as "productive."
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold XAU= was down 0.3% at $1,512.91 per ounce, as
of 0116 GMT. Prices had climbed to a more than one-week high of
$1,516.81 in the previous session.
* U.S. gold futures GCv1 were up 0.3% at $1,519.8 per
ounce.
* Spot palladium XPD= rose 0.8% to $1,654.77 per ounce,
after hitting a fresh high of $1,657.09 earlier in the session.
* The dollar gained on Monday, while Wall Street stock
futures edged up in early trade, setting an upbeat tone for
Asian markets. USD/ MKTS/GLOB
* A U.S.-China trade deal appeared elusive on Friday after
Chinese officials unexpectedly cancelled a visit to farms in
Montana and Nebraska as deputy trade negotiators wrapped up two
days of talks in Washington. * But both sides later published positive statements, with
the U.S. Trade Representative's office describing the talks as
"productive" and China's Commerce Ministry calling them
"constructive." October's high-level talks remain on track.
* After delivering a split-decision rate cut last week, U.S.
Federal Reserve officials put their divisions on full display
Friday, with warnings of a slowdown on one hand and financial
risks on the other bookending talk of how well things are going.
* Saudi Arabia will seek to make a case at a global
gathering in New York this week for concerted action to punish
and deter arch foe Iran after strikes on Saudi oil plants
rattled global markets and exposed the kingdom's vulnerability
to attack. * U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday approved sending
American troops to bolster Saudi Arabia's air and missile
defences after the attack on the kingdom's oil facilities.
* Global economic conditions are very complicated, and the
European Central Bank will likely have to take more action "in
the coming months, quarters and years," ECB governing council
member Bostjan Vasle said in an interview aired on Sunday.
* Hedge funds and money managers raised their bullish
positions in COMEX gold and trimmed bullish bets on silver
contracts in the week to Sept. 17, the U.S. Commodity Futures
Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday. * Holdings at SPDR Gold Trust GLD , the world's largest
gold-backed exchange-traded fund, rose 1.19% to 894.15 tonnes on
Friday. AHEAD
0715 France Markit Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs Sept
0730 Germany Markit Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs Sept
0800 EU Markit Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs Sept
1330 Brazil Current Account, Foreign Direct Invest Aug
1345 US Markit Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs Sept