PRECIOUS-Gold edges up after 1 pct rise; eyes currencies

                                
 SINGAPORE, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Gold ticked higher on Friday
after rising 1 percent the previous day on an unverified report
that China will buy IMF gold, but gains could be capped by
weaker oil prices and a volatile euro.
                                
 FUNDAMENTALS
                                
 * Spot gold <XAU=> was at $1,105.75 an ounce by 0026 GMT,
up $1.05 from New York's notional close on Thursday, when it
regained the psychological $1,100 level on the unverified
report about China's purchase of IMF gold. Bullion hit a
1-month high above $1,130 on Monday.
                                
 * Rough & Polished, a Moscow-based industry website,
reported that China had "confirmed its decision to acquire
191.3 tonnes of gold auctioned by the International Monetary
Fund". The story was not attributed to any source and could not
be verified by Reuters.
                                
 * U.S. gold futures for April delivery <GCJO> fell $1.6 an
ounce to $1,106.9.
                                
 * The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund,
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD>, said its holdings stood at 1,106.987
tonnes as of Feb. 25, unchanged from the previous business day.
[GOL/SPDR]
                                
 MARKET NEWS
                                
 * The euro <EUR=> held ground above $1.3500, having bounced
from a low of $1.3450 on Thursday -- not far from its
nine-month trough of $1.3442 hit on Feb. 19. But traders
cautioned against reading too much on the move and said despite
the bounce, sentiment on the single currency remains negative.
[USD/]
                                
 * Investors' focus now turns to U.S. economic reports on
fourth-quarter gross domestic product, consumer sentiment for
February and existing home sales for January, all scheduled for
Friday. <ECONUS>.
                                
 * U.S. stocks fell on Thursday and crude oil prices slid
more than 2 percent after weak U.S. jobless and manufacturing
data drove fears that the global economic recovery is on shaky
ground. [MKTS/GLOB]
                                
 * Japan's Nikkei stock average edged up 0.2 percent on
Friday, buoyed by gains in defensive shares such as drugmaker
Daiichi Sankyo <4568.T>, which said it was considering entering
the generic drug market in Japan. [.T]
                                
 DATA EVENTS
                                
 * The following data is expected on Fridy: <ECON>
                                
 - UK GFK consumer confidence survey, Jan           (0001
GMT)     - Japan Jan construction orders yy               
(0500 GMT)     - UK nationwide house price survey, Feb        
  (0700 GMT)     - UK GDP, Q4 second revision
                                
 (0930 GMT)     - Euro zone final HICP, Jan
                                
   (1000 GMT)     - Japan forex intervention data for Feb
                                
     (1000 GMT)     - U.S. preliminary Q4 GDP
                                
       (1330 GMT)     - Reuters/Univ of Mich final Feb
consumer sentiment(1455 GMT)     - U.S. existing home sales for
Jan                 (1500 GMT)     - U.S. ECRI weekly (1530
GMT)
                                
 RELATED NEWS > Weak U.S. data raises worries about recovery
                                
  [nN2597849] > Bernanke wants answers on Goldman role in
Greece [nN25251885] > Apple's Jobs says must think "big" on
cash hoard
  [nN2598333] > Wall Street's jobless recovery                
                                
[nN2389918] > EU inspectors, rating agencies press Greece  
                                
[nLDE61O20P] > US investor equity holdings at high in Feb
                                
 [nN24208341] > Weak euro zone confidence, lending points to
grim [nLDE61O0SV] > Fed's Pianalto: U.S. still needs ultra-low
rates  [nN25246080] > EC says fragile European recovery under
way       [nLDE61O1U6] > German jobless rise subdued despite
harsh winter  [nLDE61O0SR] > EMU could collapse after
default-German debt head [nLDE61O1HH]    
 PRICES
 Precious metals prices at 0026 GMT
 Metal             Last    Change  Pct chg  YTD pct chg
Turnover
 Spot Gold        1105.75    1.05   +0.10      0.92
 Spot Silver        16.04    0.00   +0.00     -4.69
 Spot Platinum    1519.75   -9.25   -0.60      3.60
 Spot Palladium    420.00    0.00   +0.00      3.58
 TOCOM Gold       3190.00   40.00   +1.27     -2.12       
30893
 TOCOM Platinum   4368.00   44.00   +1.02     -0.30        
7242
 TOCOM Silver       46.70    0.60   +1.30     -9.67         
227
 TOCOM Palladium  1210.00   12.00   +1.00      3.86          
36
 Euro/Dollar       1.3550
 Dollar/Yen         89.37
 (Reporting by Lewa Pardomuan; Editing by Himani Sarkar)