Gold up for second day on bargain hunting, physical demand

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold added on to sharp overnight gains on Thursday, consolidating after recent losses, on bargain hunting and signs of increasing physical demand in Asia.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold rose 0.2 percent to $1,291.25 an ounce by 0029 GMT, after gaining 0.8 percent on Wednesday - the metal's biggest one-day jump in nearly three weeks.

* The metal gained despite strong economic data that showed U.S. companies stepped up hiring in March for a second straight month, offering fresh evidence the economy was regaining momentum after a weather-driven lull over the winter.

* Markets are now eyeing U.S. nonfarm payrolls data on Friday to gauge the strength of the recovery and the Federal Reserve's stimulus outlook.

* Chinese gold prices briefly rose to a premium on Wednesday before settling down on par with London prices. They had been at a discount since early March.

* Indian gold imports likely jumped in March from the previous month after the central bank allowed more private banks to ship the metal, the head of the country's biggest jewellery trade body said.

* Osisko Mining Corp said Yamana Gold Inc would buy a 50 percent stake in its mining and exploration assets for C$930 million, a deal that potentially thwarts a hostile bid from Goldcorp Inc .

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MARKET NEWS

* Asian shares nudged higher to four-month highs in early trade on Thursday as upbeat U.S. data underpinned risk appetite, leaving the safe-haven yen languishing at 10-week lows.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Ed Davies)