SINGAPORE, April 4 (Reuters) - Spot gold edged up on Monday, supported by a firm euro on expectations that the European Central Bank will raise interest rates this week and strong oil prices.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold inched up 0.2 percent to $1,430.39 an ounce by 0028 GMT, after ending the first quarter with a minor 0.7 percent gain.
* U.S. gold futures
* Spot silver rose to as high as $38.03 earlier, just 10 cents off a 31-year high of $38.13 hit on March 24. It was trading at $38.01, up 0.7 percent from the previous close.
* Strong U.S. employment data underpinned the optimism about the economic recovery in the world's largest economy, dampening sentiment in gold, seen as a safe-haven investment during times of economic uncertainty. [ID:nNOAT00477]
* U.S. crude prices extended gains in early Asian trade on Monday as geopolitical unrest in the Middle East and Africa stoked concerns about oil supply.
* Speculators in gold futures and options raised their net long positions as prices rose to fresh records last week, data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed. [ID:nN01152819]
* Harmony Gold , the world's fifth largest gold miner, said on Friday that a mine in South Africa it had shut after a fatality this week is likely to reopen on Tuesday. [ID:nWEA2453]
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MARKET NEWS
* U.S. stocks started a traditionally healthy month on strong footing on Friday after solid jobs figures, but the S&P 500 may need help to break to new multi-year highs.
* The euro hit fresh 11-month highs against a broadly weaker yen early in Asia on Monday and held firm against the dollar with markets all but certain the European Central Bank will raise interest rates this week.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0900 EZ Producers prices Feb 1400 US Employment trend index March 1915 US Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke speaks
PRICES Precious metals prices 0028 GMT Metal Last Change Pct chg YTD pct chg Volume Spot Gold 1430.39 2.41 +0.17 0.77 Spot Silver 38.01 0.27 +0.72 23.17 Spot Platinum 1769.74 4.74 +0.27 0.13 Spot Palladium 775.25 5.30 +0.69 -3.03 TOCOM Gold 3877.00 20.00 +0.52 3.97 28144 TOCOM Platinum 4826.00 35.00 +0.73 2.77 5157 TOCOM Silver 102.90 1.60 +1.58 27.04 821 TOCOM Palladium 2113.00 45.00 +2.18 0.76 166 COMEX GOLD JUN1 1431.70 2.80 +0.20 0.72 1586 COMEX SILVER MAY1 38.05 0.31 +0.83 22.96 1765 Euro/Dollar 1.4256 Dollar/Yen 84.13 TOCOM prices in yen per gram. Spot prices in $ per ounce. COMEX gold and silver contracts show the most active months (Reporting By Rujun Shen; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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