Gold slips from three-month highs on dollar strength

Gold on Wednesday slipped from near three-month highs hit in the previous session, easing on a stronger dollar amid political and economic uncertainty in the United States and Europe.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold XAU= was down 0.2 percent to $1,231.50 per ounce at 0100 GMT. On Tuesday, the metal touched its highest since Nov. 11 at $1,235.78.

* U.S. gold futures GCcv1 fell 0.2 percent to $1,232.90 an ounce.

* The dollar index .DXY, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, was up 0.2 percent at 100.510.

* Controversy over U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries has recently boosted gold as a safe-haven asset, while political uncertainty in Europe amid upcoming elections bouyed the dollar.

* Weaker output in manufacturing and construction drove the biggest monthly drop in German industrial production in nearly eight years in December, dashing prospects for robust growth in the final quarter of 2016.

* The U.S. trade deficit fell in December as exports hit their highest level in more than 1-1/2 years amid record shipments of technology products, but strengthening domestic demand points to further rises in imports, which could constrain economic growth.

* Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will present the U.S. central bank's semiannual report on monetary policy and the economy in testimony to the Senate Banking Committee on Feb. 14, the panel said on Tuesday.

* China's foreign exchange reserves unexpectedly fell below the closely watched $3 trillion level in January for the first time in nearly six years, though tighter regulatory controls appeared to making some progress in slowing capital outflows.

* China's gold reserves were unchanged for a third straight month in January at 59.24 million fine troy ounces, the central bank said on Tuesday.

* Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, rose 1.01 percent to 826.95 tonnes on Tuesday from on Monday. Holdings rose for a fifth straight session. [GOL/ETF]

Illegal miners have "largely been cleared" from AngloGold Ashanti's (ANGJ.J) Obuasi mine in Ghana and the company can now explore a number of options for the asset including its possible sale or redevelopment, its chief executive said on Tuesday.

* Armed robbers attacked Banro Corp's (BAA.TO) Twangiza gold mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo early on Tuesday and three policemen and one assailant were killed, the Canadian company said.

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