Gold set for biggest weekly drop in 15 mos.

Gold achieved but small gains in Asian trade on Friday after declining to a 19-month low in the previous session, but the metal remained on track for its biggest weekly decline since mid-2017.

Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,175.22 U.S. an ounce early Friday morning, while U.S. gold futures were down 0.2%at $1,181.30 U.S. an ounce.

For the week, spot gold has shed 2.9% in what could be its sixth consecutive weekly decline. It hit its lowest since January 2017 at $1,159.96 U.S. on Thursday on some aggressive stop-loss selling.

A slight correction in the U.S. dollar, after the currency gained against most peers this week, also supported gold's recovery. A weaker dollar makes greenback-denominated gold cheaper for holders of other currencies.

The dollar edged further away from a 13-1/2-month high hit earlier this week, as risk aversion eased after China agreed to hold lower-level trade talks with Washington this month, offering hope that they might resolve an escalating tariff war.

Spot gold looks neutral in a range of $1,173-$1,182 per ounce, and some experts have opined an escape could suggest a direction.

Among other precious metals, silver inched up 0.2% to $14.64 U.S. an ounce, but was headed for its biggest weekly decline since early February.

Platinum rose 0.4% to $780 U.S. an ounce, but was on track for its biggest weekly drop since November 2015.

Palladium was up 0.1% at $890.50 U.S. an ounce, but stayed on track to post a weekly fall.

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