Gold prices extend gain; physical buying slows

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Gold futures edged higher to extend gain for another session on Thursday, helped by a weaker rupee, amid slowing purchases from physical traders ahead of a key gold-buying festival next week.

* India, the world's biggest buyer of the metal, will celebrate Akshaya Tritiya next week, the biggest gold-buying festival after Dhanteras. The wedding season is on and will continue through July.

* "Demand has slowed down compared to last week. If it comes to 26,000 rupees, we might see some more buying," said a dealer with a private bullion-importing bank.

* "It has been two months that traders have been stocking up...," said the dealer, referring to the Akshaya Tritiya festival, scheduled next week.

* Most traders picked up bargains after prices fell to their lowest level in 18 months in April.

* The rupee, which weakened on Thursday, plays an important role in determining the landed cost of the dollar-quoted yellow metal.

* At 3:37 p.m., the actively traded gold for June delivery on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) was at 27,180 rupees per 10 grams, due to a weaker rupee.

* Silver for July delivery on the MCX was 0.77 percent higher at 45,255 rupees per kilogram.

(Reporting by Siddesh Mayenkar; Editing by Jijo Jacob)