PRECIOUS-Gold dips to near 1-month low as risk appetite dents safe havens

* Investors await ECB policy meeting on Thursday
* Spot gold expected to fall to $1,453 per ounce -techs
* Gold could breach $2,000/oz in the next year or two -Citi
* Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust fall 0.8% on Monday

(Updates prices)
By Brijesh Patel
Sept 10 (Reuters) - Gold dropped to a near one-month low on
Tuesday to hold below the key $1,500 pivot as the dollar
strengthened and appetite for riskier assets improved on rising
hopes of global economic stimulus.
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.3% at $1,493.80 per ounce as of
1239 GMT, after hitting its lowest level since Aug. 13, at
$1,486, earlier in the session.
U.S. gold futures GCcv1 slipped 0.6% to $1,501.80 per
ounce.
"We've had quite a broad improvement in risk appetite - the
U.S. stock markets are now little shy of record highs - that is
taking some of the edge off gold," OANDA senior market analyst
Craig Erlam said, adding a stronger dollar was also pressuring
the metal.
Bullion prices have shed more than 4%, or more than $60, in
less than a week, mainly hurt by a broader uptick in equity
markets. MKTS/GLOB
Also, the dollar .DXY rose 0.2% on Tuesday, making gold
more expensive for investors holding other currencies. DXY
"However, gold prices have primarily been supported by the
central bank stimulus and the expectation is that we are going
to see plenty more (interest rate cuts). So, from that
perspective, we're still seeing gold at these higher levels,"
Erlam added.
The U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest
rates by a quarter percentage point at its mid-September
meeting, while the European Central Bank is likely to reduce
deposit rates for the first time since 2016 later this week.
Lower U.S. interest rates put pressure on the dollar and
bond yields, increasing the appeal of non-yielding bullion.
"We now expect gold prices to trade stronger for longer,
possibly breaching $2,000/oz and posting new cyclical highs at
some point in the next year or two," Citi bank analysts wrote in
a note.
On the technical front, spot gold is expected to fall to
$1,453, as it has cleared a support at $1,497 per ounce, said
Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust GLD , the world's largest
gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.8% to 882.42 tonnes on
Monday. Among other precious metals, platinum XPT= dropped 1% to
$936.70 per ounce, after nearing the $1,000 mark last week.
"Platinum has rallied the past two weeks as investors looked
for 'cheaper' haven assets. While consolidation is likely in the
near term, we remain bullish platinum over the next 12 months,"
Citi said.
Silver XAG= eased 0.2% to $17.93 per ounce, while
palladium XPD= rose 0.7% to $1,555.