Gold steady near one-month high on slowing China growth

By A. Ananthalakshmi

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold clung to overnight gains on Tuesday to trade near a one-month high as worries persisted over a slowdown in the global economy after China's growth eased in the third quarter to its weakest since the 2008/09 financial crisis.

The weakness in Chinese growth, however, was not as bad as feared as the world's second-largest economy grew 7.3 percent between July and September from a year earlier, above the 7.2 percent forecast by analysts.

The slightly better-than-expected data on Tuesday lent some support to Asian equities, though investors were eyeing U.S. data later this week for more cues.

"For the moment I think gold will hold near the key $1,250 level and a strong break above that could take it up to $1,275," said a trader in Hong Kong.

"Despite the recent rebound in equities, there are still some worries out there that could attract bids for gold. Weakness in the dollar is a major factor for gold," the trader said.

Spot gold was flat at $1,246.71 an ounce by 0408 GMT, after gaining 0.7 percent in the previous session.

Gold jumped to a one-month high of $1,249.30 last week as fears over a slowdown in the global economy sent investors chasing after safe-haven assets.

The dollar was little changed on Tuesday but it is off a four-year peak hit at the beginning of this month. [USD/]

With China data out of the way, focus will now turn to Wednesday's U.S. inflation data and Thursday's European manufacturing reports.

Weak data from Europe in particular had hurt financial markets in recent days, leading to jitters about a global slowdown and a close watch on economic data.

SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 1.18 percent to 751.97 tonnes on Monday - the biggest daily percentage drop in a year.

The drop in holdings at the fund - considered influential due to its size - could undermine sentiment in the bullion market.

Traders, however, were optimistic about buying interest in the physical markets from Asia - the top consuming region.

India, the second-biggest gold buyer, celebrates Dhanteras on Tuesday and Diwali later in the week. Both are considered auspicious for buying gold, and retail sales and imports could get a boost.

News that India's central bank will not tighten its gold import rules further could also lend support.

(Editing by Richard Pullin and Muralikumar Anantharaman)