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FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold
* The metal climbed to $1,159.80 on Friday, its highest since Aug. 28, after minutes from the Fed's September policy meet showed that the central bank was deeply cautious about tightening monetary policy.
* Weakness in the dollar, which fell to a three-week low on Friday, also helped support gold.
* A delayed rate rise could support non-interest-paying gold, although uncertainty over the timing could weigh on prices in the near term.
* Two influential Fed policymakers on Friday reinforced Fed Chair Janet Yellen's message that a rate hike is coming by year's end.
* Fed policymakers are still likely to raise rates this year but that is "an expectation, not a commitment", and could change if the global economy pushes the U.S. economy further off course, Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said over the weekend.
* Recent weak U.S. data and concerns over the global economy have prompted many to believe the first U.S. rate hike in nearly a decade will not come this year.
* Hedge funds and money managers raised their bullish bets in COMEX gold and silver to four-month highs in the week ended Oct. 6, data on Friday showed, amid expectations the Fed will delay a much-anticipated rate hike.
* Elsewhere, the London Bullion Market Association said on Friday it has formally asked exchanges and technology firms to bid for services such as a gold exchange or a clearing platform to make the London market more transparent and liquid.
* South Africa's Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union voted on Sunday to strike at the operations of AngloGold Ashanti
* Among other precious metals, platinum
* Palladium
* Trading activity during Asian hours is likely to be thinner than usual with Japanese markets closed for a public holiday. U.S. markets will also be shut on Monday for a holiday.
* For the top stories on metals and other news, click
DATA AHEAD (GMT)
No major data scheduled
PRICES AT 0043 GMT Metal Last Change Pct chg
Spot gold 1156 -1.13 -0.1 Spot silver 15.83 0.01 0.06 Spot platinum 976.99 -1.51 -0.15 Spot palladium 704.55 -2.95 -0.42 Comex gold 1155.9 0 0 Comex silver 15.83 0.012 0.08
COMEX gold and silver contracts show the most active months
(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Ed Davies) ((ananthalakshmi.as@thomsonreuters.com; +65 6870 3726; Reuters Messaging: ananthalakshmi.as.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; Twitter: @AnanthalakshmiA))
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Keywords: MARKETS PRECIOUS/