* Spot gold held its ground at $1,999.09 per ounce by 0042 GMT. U.S. gold futures rose 0.3% to $2,010.20.
* The dollar index eased 0.1%, making gold more attractive for buyers holding other currencies.
* Data on Tuesday showed U.S. consumer confidence dropped to
a nine-month low in April as worries about the future mounted,
further heightening the risk that the economy could fall into
recession this year.
* Sales of new U.S. single-family homes jumped to a one-year
high in March, likely as a retreat in mortgage rates boosted
demand.
* The U.S. central bank's rate-setting Federal Open Market
Committee will meet on May 2-3.
* Although gold is considered a hedge against inflation and
economic uncertainty, higher interest rates dim the non-yielding
asset's appeal.
* Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields fell by their largest
amount since March on Tuesday, while short-term yields climbed
as investors balanced rising concerns about the regional banking
sector and the possibility of an imminent recession with worries
about the U.S. debt ceiling.
* First Republic Bank faces dwindling and tough options to
turn around its business with the creation of a 'bad bank' or
asset sales possibilities, a source familiar with the matter
said, after the lender showed the extent of deposit flight
during last month's banking crisis.
* Spot silver ticked 0.1% higher to $25.06 per ounce,
platinum rose 0.7% to $1,094.12, and palladium climbed 1% to $1,498.95.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0130 Australia CPI QQ, YY Q1
1000 France Unemp Class-A SA March
1230 US Durable Goods March
(Reporting by Arundhati Sarkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry
Jacob-Phillips)
