* Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,876.14 per ounce, as of 0058 GMT. U.S. gold futures firmed 0.2% to $1,887.90.
* The dollar index was down 0.2%, retreating from a one-month peak hit in the previous session. A weaker dollar makes greenback-priced gold less expensive for buyers holding other currencies.
* Friday's blockbuster jobs report showed why the battle against inflation will "take quite a bit of time," Powell said on Tuesday, acknowledging that interest rates might need to move higher than expected.
* Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said the Fed would probably have to raise interest rates to at least 5.4% in order to tame high inflation.
* Gold is sensitive to high interest rates, which lift the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.
* The U.S. trade deficit widened in December, reversing half
of the prior month's sharp contraction, as imports rebounded and
exports of goods dropped to a 10-month low amid cooling global
demand and declining crude oil prices.
* Meanwhile, China held 65.12 million fine troy ounces of
gold at the end of January, up from 64.64 million ounces at the
end of December, central bank data showed.
* SPDR Gold Trust GLD, the world's largest gold-backed
exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 0.32% to 920.82
tonnes on Tuesday from 917.92 tonnes on Monday.
* Spot silver rose 0.4% to $22.27 per ounce, platinum was 0.4% higher at $977.40 and palladium fell 0.2%
to $1,642.24.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
No major data/events expected on Wednesday, Feb. 8
(Reporting by Kavya Guduru in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu
Sahu)
