* Gold rises, silver flat, PGMs off highs
* For the technicals on gold; click [
]* Coming Up: U.S. Initial job claims; 1230 GMT (Updates prices, adds quotes)
By Lewa Pardomuan
SINGAPORE, June 17 (Reuters) - Gold firmed to near a one-week high on Thursday after safe haven buying resurfaced as the euro struggled to sustain gains and shares slipped on uncertainty over the pace of economic recovery in the U.S.
Bullion remains the darling of some investors. But the metal will have to crack strong resistance around $1,250 an ounce to surpass last week's record. Nearly a week of steady holdings of bullion in the world's largest gold exchange-traded-fund, or ETF, suggest investors are waiting for cues from other markets.
Spot gold <XAU=> was at $1,231.80 an ounce by 0218 GMT, up $2.20 from New York's notional close on Wednesday, when it rose to its highest in a week around $1,237 before speculators booked profits. Gold hit a lifetime high of $1,251.20 last week.
For a graphic showing the gold technical outlook, see: http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/WT_20101706085612.jpg
"Even though some of the apprehension about Europe's fiscal issues and so on has faded, I believe there's still a core of investors that are concerned about that," said David Moore, commodity strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.
"But I think the gold price has risen so much. At these very high levels, you're getting a lot of caution," said Moore, referring to the SPDR Gold Trust <GLD.P>, which stands at a record high of 1,306.137 tonnes -- unchanged since June 10. [
]U.S. gold futures for August delivery <GCQ0> added $4.6 an ounce to $1,235.1, having also hit a one-week high on Wednesday.
Cash gold and U.S. bullion futures had rallied to record highs after investors ditched the euro and shares on fears the euro debt crisis would spread and the U.S. economy may be slowing.
"We expect gold to continue outperforming its peers, as the price will be supported by sovereign risk and related safe haven demand," BNP Paribas said in a report.
Silver <XAG=> was barely changed, while platinum <XPT=> slipped after rising to its highest in four weeks the previous day.
The euro consolidated below two-week highs on Thursday, with most investors on the sidelines ahead of a raft of bond auctions in the euro zone area as fresh concerns about Spain's banking system weigh down on sentiment. [
]The Nikkei slipped 0.5 percent on Thursday after mixed U.S. data underscored an uneven economic recovery and the Wall Street ended flat as weak housing market data overshadowed a surge in industrial production. [
] [ ]U.S. crude futures edged down on Thursday on profit-taking from a six-week high hit a day earlier amid a lack of clear support from the stock markets or the euro. [
] Precious metals prices at 0218 GMT Metal Last Change Pct chg YTD pct chg Turnover Spot Gold 1231.80 2.20 +0.18 12.42 Spot Silver 18.38 -0.02 -0.11 9.21 Spot Platinum 1564.75 -1.75 -0.11 6.66 Spot Palladium 468.75 -2.25 -0.48 15.60 TOCOM Gold 3626.00 -15.00 -0.41 11.26 19523 TOCOM Platinum 4633.00 -52.00 -1.11 5.75 8909 TOCOM Silver 54.50 -0.70 -1.27 5.42 225 TOCOM Palladium 1385.00 -17.00 -1.21 18.88 149 Euro/Dollar 1.2275 Dollar/Yen 91.24 TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce. (Editing by Ed Lane)