Gold edges lower for second session on stimulus fears

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold eased for a second session on Friday as investors worried about an early end to the Federal Reserve's massive bond-buying stimulus on the back of strong U.S. data.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold fell 0.1 percent to $1,384.01 an ounce by 0023 GMT after losing about 0.15 percent on Thursday following stronger-than-expected U.S. data.

* U.S. gold rose about $6 to $1383.6.

* U.S. retail sales rose more than expected in May and first-time applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, signs of resilience in the economy.

* Investors fear a strengthening economy could prompt the Fed to start winding down its $85 billion monthly bond purchases that have supported gold prices.

* Asian shares recovered from multi-month lows on Friday, as a rebound in U.S. equities on the back of upbeat economic data calmed nerves after a bruising selloff, but investors remain cautious ahead of next week's Federal Reserve policy meeting.

* Commodity funds run by some of the most high-profile traders have declared negative returns through the first five months of the year, performance data from their investors showed on Thursday.

* Net gold imports into India have fallen from an average of $135 million in the first half of May to $36 million in the second half, the finance minister said. The government has raised the import duty on gold and curbed gold financing in an effort to cut its current account deficit.

* SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.63 percent to 1,003.53 tonnes on Thursday to fresh four-year lows.

MARKET NEWS

* The U.S. dollar remained in the doldrums in early Asian trade on Friday, while the Nikkei recovered from a sharp decline.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Richard Pullin)