PRECIOUS-Gold prices steady as market awaits U.S. employment report

* Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust rose 0.32% on Wednesday
* Dollar near one-week lows against yen and euro
* September U.S. non-manufacturing ISM survey due at 1400
GMT

(Adds comment, updates prices)
By Eileen Soreng
Oct 3 (Reuters) - Gold prices were little changed on
Thursday, following a jump of more than 1% in the previous
session, as investors awaited more data with which to gauge U.S.
economic health and that could influence further U.S. Federal
Reserve action on interest rates.
Spot gold XAU= was steady at $1,498.89 per ounce, as of
0758 GMT, while U.S. gold futures GCv1 dipped 0.3% to $1,502.9
per ounce.
"After the sharp gains we are seeing some minor pullbacks on
profit-booking, while sentiment in the gold market remains
positive," said Jigar Trivedi, a commodities analyst at
Mumbai-based Anand Rathi Shares & Stock Brokers.
The precious metal jumped 1.4% on Wednesday after
disappointing hiring by U.S. private employers unnerved
investors already concerned about slowing growth in the world's
largest economy.
"Gold is clearly being used as a hedge against volatility in
other markets," said OANDA analyst Jeffrey Halley.
With negative investor sentiment on global growth and trade
and the meltdown in equity markets, there has been a flight to
safe havens, Halley said.
The private jobs data came ahead of the more comprehensive
U.S. nonfarm payrolls report due on Friday, adding to the gloom
prompted by a survey that showed manufacturing activity in the
United States tumbled to a more than 10-year low in September.
The disappointing readings weighed on the dollar, which hit
near one-week lows against the euro and yen. USD/
Besides the nonfarm payrolls report due on Friday, investors
also keeping an eye out for September's U.S. non-manufacturing
ISM (Institute for Supply Management) survey due at 1400 GMT on
Thursday.
"If the (data) comes out much lower than expected then the
run for the door will become an unruly stampede, and we could
see a meltdown in stocks and that will be positive for gold,"
Halley said.
Adding to market concerns, the United States won approval on
Wednesday to levy tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of European
goods over illegal subsidies handed to Airbus, threatening to
trigger a transatlantic trade war.
On the technical front, spot gold may end its bounce in a
range of $1,514-$1,524 per ounce, as suggested by a retracement
analysis and a falling channel, according to Reuters analyst
Wang Tao.
Indicative of investor interest, holdings at SPDR Gold Trust
GLD , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund,
rose 0.32% to 923.76 tonnes on Wednesday.
Among other precious metals, platinum XPT= was up 0.2% at
$888.38 per ounce, and silver XAG= rose 0.1% to $17.56 an
ounce.
Palladium XPD= was up 0.2% at $1,690.18 per ounce.