PRECIOUS-Gold flat, ETF holdings stay at record

                                
 TOKYO, March 26 (Reuters) - Gold was little changed on
Thursday, with investors looking for fresh market factors after a
mild recovery in the previous session on a retreat in the dollar.
                                
 FUNDAMENTALS
                                
 * Gold <XAU=> was at $932.70 per ounce at 0013 GMT versus New
York's notional close of $933.15 on Wednesday, when it rose about
0.8 percent.
                                
 * On Wednesday spot gold had fallen as low as $916.00 before
gaining ground on a weakening dollar after U.S. Treasury
Secretary Timothy Geithner expressed openness to expanded use of
an IMF currency basket, which stoked doubts over the dollar as
the world's reserve currency.
                                
 * The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the
SPDR Gold Trust <GLD>, said its holdings remained at 1,124.99
tonnes as of March 25, unchanged from the record marked the
previous day. [GOL/SPDR]
                                
 * South African unions plan to demand big wage hikes from
gold producers enjoying high prices, but gold firms say they are
missing out on the soaring prices due to falling output, setting
the stage for tough talks. [ID:nLP299136]
                                
 * London-listed Mwana Africa Plc <MWA.L> aims to reopen a
Zimbabwe gold mine within six months given a recent move by
Zimbabwe's central bank to relinquish its role as mandatory sales
agent, allowing firms for the first time to sell gold on the
world market. [ID:nLP431155]
                                
 MARKET NEWS
                                
 * Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei share average <.N225> was down 0.3
percent in early trade. [.T]
                                
 * U.S. stocks rose in a late rally on Wednesday as
unexpectedly strong housing and durable goods data fuelled hopes
the world's biggest economy is finally on the mend, offsetting
concerns the United States may struggle to fund plans to pull the
economy out of recession. [.N]
                                
 * The euro was steady at $1.3588 <EUR=> on Thursday after
having risen to around $1.3650 the previous day after U.S.
Treasury Secretary Geithner said he was open to expanding the use
of the IMF's special drawing rights. [USD/]
                                
 * U.S. oil futures edged higher after falling more than $1 a
barrel on Wednesday as U.S. government data showed crude stocks
at their highest since 1993. [O/R]
                                
 DATA EVENTS
                                
 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner testifies (1400 GMT)
                                
 * The following data is expected on Thursday: <ECON>
                                
 - Euro zone Feb M3 money supply (0900 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. final Q4 gross domestic product (1230 GMT)
                                
 - U.S. corporate profits Q4 final (1230 GMT)
                                
 - Weekly U.S. jobless claims (1230 GMT)
                                
 RELATED NEWS
 >Geithner says dollar to remain reserve currency [ID:nN25415362]
 >Goldman Sachs lowers gold forecast to $930/oz    [ID:nLP537760]
 >US data lifts hopes, Europe resists stimulus          [TOPWRAP]
 >Big funds more wary of commods than ever        [ID:nN25300788]
 >Gold rises on dollar slide; most others down         [COM/WRAP]
                                
 PRICES AS OF 0016 GMT
 Metal         Last      Change  Pct chg  Day ago pct  MA 30  RSI
 Spot gold     $932.30   -$0.85  -0.09%    +3.94%    $860.10   50
 Spot silver    $13.43   -$0.02  -0.15%   +12.10%     $11.29   55
 Spot plat    $1124.50    $4.50  +0.40%    +0.94%   $1069.73   71
 COMEX gold    $933.40    $3.00  +0.32%    +1.04%    $940.44   52
 TOCOM gold      2,950       29  +0.99%    -0.37%      2,919   56
 TOCOM plat      3,557       15  +0.42%    -0.67%      3,314   69
 Currencies                   g: risa.maeda.reuters.com@reuters.net))