* Gold futures' biggest one-day price drop since 1980
* Futures volume looks headed for a record
* Strong U.S. durable goods orders dent safe-haven appeal
* Coming up: Fed's Jackson Hole meeting starts Thursday (Recasts, updates prices)
By Frank Tang
NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Gold futures fell more than $100 on Wednesday, one of the steepest falls ever, as strong U.S. economic data and expectations of more Federal Reserve stimulus accelerated profit taking from the safe-haven record high of a day ago.
Selling spiraled out of control as money managers competed to liquidate positions in COMEX futures, which experienced their biggest single-day dollar loss since 1980. Volume looked like a record.
The price of gold bullion is now more than $150 below Tuesday's all time high of $1,911.46 an ounce, downed by intense speculation about whether the Fed will announce new plans to ease monetary policy at a meeting late this week.
Analysts said it was time for gold investors to take money off the table after the rally extended too far, too fast in recent weeks. Bullion rose as much as $400 since July.
"You have a commodity that retail investors, hedge funds and everybody were long, and the technical indicators showed it was overbought. It was just a matter of time before the market starts cracking," said Mihir Dange, COMEX gold options floor trader for Arbitrage LLC.
Spot gold
Before gold began recoiing Tuesday from above $1,900, it had risen nearly 9 percent over six sessions.
U.S. gold futures for December delivery
COMEX futures volume topped 430,000 lots, on pace to surpass a record from Aug. 9, preliminary Reuters data showed.
Silver
Gold came under pressure after steadying overnight, after a report showing new orders for U.S. durable goods orders rose 4 percent in July, more than expected and offering hope the ailing economy could dodge a second recession. [ID:nN1E77N096]
Analysts warned of a sharp correction from this month's rally was possible, especially if Friday's central bank meeting at Jackson Hole, Wyoming does not result in a Fed announcement of a third round of government bond buying, or quantitative easing, also known as QE3.
"The correction really should be taking place now, because of all the (bets) on the table," said Ashok Shah, chief investment officer at London & Capital.
"But the journey is not complete until Jackson Hole is done," Shah said. The Fed conference starts on Thursday.
CALL-PUT SPREAD NARROWS, MARGINS EYED
On the options front, the spread between the 25-day implied volatility of COMEX gold and that of put options has narrowed since Monday, a sign that gold option investors were turning bearish.
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Gold put-call spread narrows: http://r.reuters.com/xak43s
CBOE gold volatility index: http://r.reuters.com/gah43s
Asset returns in 2011: http://r.reuters.com/suz52s
Inflation adjusted gold: http://r.reuters.com/pun62s
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The CBOE gold volatility index <.GVX> is near at its highest since April 2009.
The CME Group
Holdings of the SPDR Gold Trust
Spot platinum
SETTLE CHNG CHNG VOL US Gold DEC 1757.30-104.00 -5.6 1751.60 1856.80 393,835 US Silver SEP 39.162 -3.129 -7.4 39.090 42.485 95,609 US Plat OCT 1826.30 -53.80 -2.9 1805.20 1884.70 7,845 US Pall SEP 743.15 -21.25 -2.8 742.00 765.25 3,692 Gold 1754.59 -75.06 -4.1 1750.55 1853.61 Silver 39.340 -2.480 -5.9 39.130 42.400 Platinum 1805.49 -51.31 -2.8 1809.75 1879.00 Palladium 745.28 -11.67 -1.5 744.60 762.00 TOTAL MARKET VOLUME 30-D ATM VOLATILITY
CURRENT 250D AVG CURRENT CHG US Gold 430,985 177,127 18.49 0.37 US Silver 143,445 61,613 40.35 0.41 US Platinum 8,312 7,300 22 2.00 US Palladium 5,684 3,973 (Editing by Alden Bentley)