PRECIOUS-Gold slips on firmer equities, ETF holdings slip

                                
 SINGAPORE, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Gold inched down in slow
trade on Monday after stock markets firmed on optimism the U.S.
economy would not fall back into recession, with a slight drop
in holdings in the ETF putting additional pressure.
                                
 FUNDAMENTALS
                                
 * Spot gold <XAU=> eased 74 cents to $1,247.30 an ounce by
0043 GMT, having fallen as low as $1,235.70 on Friday due to
fewer-than-expected U.S. job losses data.
                                
 * U.S. gold futures for December delivery <GCZ0> fell $1.9
to $1,249.2 an ounce.
                                
 * The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund,
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD.P>, said its holdings slipped to 1,294.442
tonnes by Sept 3 from 1,294.908 tonnes on Sept 2. The holdings
surged to a record 1,320.436 tonnes on June 29. [GOL/SPDR]
                                
 MARKET NEWS
                                
 * Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.9 percent on Monday, rising
for a fourth day, after U.S. stocks gained as data showing
fewer U.S. job losses than expected helped ease fears the
American economy is on the cusp of a new recession. [.T] [.N]
                                
 * U.S. non-farm payrolls fell 54,000, the Labor Department
said, a much smaller drop than the predicted 100,000. Private
employment, considered a better gauge of labour market health,
increased 67,000. [ID:nN02227856]
                                
* The dollar was on the defensive on Monday after firm U.S.
payrolls data last week eased market anxiety over chances of a
double-dip recession and boosted demand for the euro and
growth-leveraged currencies. [USD/]
                                
 * Oil fell for a second straight session on Monday as peak
gasoline use in top consumer the United States waned with the
end of the summer driving season, while tepid growth in the
services sector signalled crude demand will be slow to pick up.
[O/R]
                                
 DATA EVENTS
  - Euro zone Sentix index for September; 0830 GMT
                                
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Precious metals prices at 0043 GMT
 Metal             Last    Change  Pct chg  YTD pct chg
Turnover
 Spot Gold        1247.30   -0.74   -0.06     13.84
 Spot Silver        19.78   -0.09   -0.45     17.53
 Spot Platinum    1561.00    7.60   +0.49      6.41
 Spot Palladium    529.00    2.32   +0.44     30.46
 TOCOM Gold       3396.00   -1.00   -0.03      4.20       
13183
 TOCOM Platinum   4262.00   35.00   +0.83     -2.72        
7503
 TOCOM Silver       54.10    0.70   +1.31      4.64         
435
 TOCOM Palladium  1440.00   21.00   +1.48     23.61         
142
 Euro/Dollar       1.2882
 Dollar/Yen         84.45
 TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce.
 (Reporting by Lewa Pardomuan; Editing by Manash Goswami)