PRECIOUS-Gold little changed after sell-off on Fri

                                
 TOKYO, April 19 (Reuters) - Spot gold was little changed on
Monday after a two-percent drop the previous business day as
investors cashed in long positions after U.S. regulators charged
Goldman Sachs, a leading commodities player, with fraud.
                                
 FUNDAMENTALS
                                
 * Spot gold <XAU=> inched up to $1,136.95 per ounce at 0013
GMT compared with New York's notional close of $1,136.45.
                                
 * Gold hit a trough below $1,130 on Friday, its lowest since
April 6, reversing an earlier rally in the week to a four-month
high of $1,168.70.
                                
 * It fell 2 percent on the week last week, marking its worst
performance in a month and snapping a two-week winning streak.
                                
 * On Friday, safe-haven demand was absent in gold as the
market fretted over further selling related to Goldman and the
prospect of tighter financial regulations in metals and
commodities, traders said. [GOL/] [ID:nN16131161]
                                
 * U.S. gold futures for June delivery <GCM0> edged up to
$1,137.40 per ounce compared with Friday's settlement of
$1,136.90 on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile
Exchange.
                                
 * The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD>, said its holdings totalled 1,141.041
tonnes as of April 16, unchanged from the previous day.
[GOL/SPDR]
                                
 * The world's largest silver-backed exchange-traded fund, the
iShares Silver Trust <SLV>, said its bullion holdings as of April
16 fell 45.74 tonnes, or 0.5 percent, from the previous business
day to 8,912.94 tonnes. [ID:nTOE63H014]
                                
 * Non-commercial net long U.S. gold futures positions rose to
220,742 contracts in the week to April 13, up 8.5 percent from
203,446 contracts a week earlier, according to the weekly
Commitments of Traders report published by the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission. [ID:nN16160249]
                                
 * Spot palladium <XPD=> was down 0.4 percent at $526.25 per
ounce from New York notional close of $528.50. Spot platinum
<XPT=> fell 0.4 percent to $1,683 from $1,690.
                                
 * Silver <XAG=> was almost flat at $17.70.
                                
 MARKET NEWS
                                
 * The dollar and yen posted sharp gains on Friday after the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Goldman,
prompting investors to seek refuge in both safe haven currencies.
[USD/]
                                
 * Financial stocks plunged on Friday in the heaviest trading
this year, dramatically ending Wall Street's six-day winning
streak as the fraud charges and disappointing earnings sent
investors running for cover. [.N]
                                
 * Tokyo's Nikkei stock average <.N225> was down 1.5 percent
on Monday. [.T]
                                
 *  Oil prices <CLc1> fell 2.65 percent on Friday. [O/R]
                                
 * China's cabinet on Saturday laid out further detailed
measures for keeping the property sector in check, empowering and
ordering local governments to take steps to control speculative
buying. [ID:nTOE63G016]
                                
 * High prices deterred buyers in Abu Dhabi's gold market in
the first quarter, sending retail sales at least 20 percent lower
year-on-year, a trend seen continuing in the next quarter,
traders said on Sunday. [ID:nnLDE63H0C5]
                                
 DATA EVENTS
                                
 * The following data is expected on Monday: <ECON>
                                
 - Japan March consumer confidence index (0500 GMT)
                                
 - ECB's Bonello to present Bank of Malta report (0900 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. Commerce Secretary Locke speaks (1330 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. leading indicators for March (1400 GMT)
                                
 - ECB's Papademos presents report to EU parliament (1700 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. Treasury's Allison speaks (1910 GMT)
                                
 RELATED NEWS
 >Commds down on Goldman probe, China tightening talk  [COM/WRAP]
 >Pressure mounts on Goldman from near and far    [ID:nN18150564]
 >Charged. For Goldman, how bad could this get?   [ID:nN17132091]
 >Geithner confident on US financial overhaul     [ID:nN18152650]
 >China should use reserves for gold-researcher   [ID:nTOE63G00P]
 >Ruthenium, iridium score fresh highs            [ID:nLDE63F1KG]
 >Costa Rica court rules to reopen gold mine plan [ID:nN16144052]
 >Barrick sells platinum project stake to Platmin [ID:nN16119056]
                                
 PRICES
                                
 Precious metals prices at 0002 GMT
 Metal         Last      Change  Pct chg    2 day chg  MA 30  RSI
 Spot gold    $1136.30   -$0.15  -0.01%    -1.87%   $1123.79   47
 Spot silver    $17.68    $0.01  +0.06%    -2.75%     $17.54   41
 Spot plat    $1685.00   -$5.00  -0.30%    -0.30%   $1652.03   49
 TOCOM gold      3,369      -58  -1.69%    -2.21%      3,358
 TOCOM plat      4,973     -102  -2.01%    -2.39%      4,917
 Currencies
 Euro/dlr       $1.348   $0.001  +0.08%    -0.14%
 Dlr/yen         92.01     0.14  +0.15%    -0.23%
 TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce.
 (Reporting by Risa Maeda; Editing by Joseph Radford)