Gold climbs off five-year low as dollar pulls back

By Melanie Burton

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Gold prices revived on Thursday from their lowest in more than five years the previous session as the dollar fell back, releasing its stranglehold on commodities and making gold more affordable for buyers paying with other currencies.

Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday continued to flag December as a likely time for interest rates to rise after seven years near zero, with two expressing confidence they will be able to pull off a rate hike smoothly despite fears of an abrupt market reaction.

"I'm convinced that the start of the (rate hike) cycle will see relative dollar weakness as investor money flows into other regions and other types of investment, away from the U.S. where the cost of capital - and doing business will also grow," said Chief Investment Officer Jonathan Barratt of Ayers Alliance in Sydney. He added that a rate increase could also boost gold's appeal as a hedge against inflation.

Spot gold was up 0.6 percent at $1,077.20 an ounce by 0216 GMT. Prices fell to 1,064.95 an ounce on Wednesday, the weakest since early 2010.

U.S. gold had risen 0.8 percent to $1,077 an ounce.

U.S. housing starts in October dropped to a seven-month low, weighed down by a steep decline in the construction of multi-family homes, but a surge in building permits suggested the housing market remained on solid ground.

The dollar fell back from seven-month peaks against a basket of currencies early in Asia on Thursday.

(Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Michael Perry and Joseph Radford)