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Gold down as strong shares, U.S. yields offset weaker dollar

A customer looks at gold ornaments on display inside a jewelry showroom on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, a major gold buying festival, in the southern Indian city of Kochi April 21, 2015. REUTERS/Sivaram V

By Clara Denina LONDON (Reuters) - Gold edged down on Wednesday, as the impact of stronger European shares and higher U.S. real yields counteracted the effects of a weaker dollar and prospects that the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates at its meeting in June. Spot gold was down 0.2 percent at $1,190.53 an ounce by 1011 GMT, while U.S. gold futures for June delivery lost $3.20 an ounce at $1,190.00. Gold was depressed by rebounding European shares as strong euro zone services data and corporate results offset a sell-off in the region's government bonds and a rise in the euro. The metal, which pays no interest, was also under pressure from a two-month high in the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield. "One might be puzzled why the gold price is not reacting to a weaker dollar … but you have to look at U.S. real yields, which correlate the most to the gold price, and these have risen," Macquarie analyst Matthew Turner said. "That's what's driving gold prices...because we think the Fed is going to raise interest rates sooner than expected." The dollar fell 0.4 percent against a basket of currencies, after disappointing U.S. trade data for March painted an even bleaker picture of the economy in the first quarter. The sluggish data added to the view that the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates at a policy meeting in June, a factor that could boost demand for bullion, a non-interest-paying asset. Fed officials have given conflicting signals this week on the possible timing of any rate increase, providing no clarity on the issue. Later on Wednesday, the focus will shift to a report on U.S. private-sector employment that may affect expectations for Friday's U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, which will give a better read of the economy and clues on the timing of a rate hike. "The firm oil price and the widening U.S. trade gap provided support for gold, with the key nonfarm payrolls this Friday likely to be the next major catalyst," MKS Group said in a note. Higher oil prices - Brent crude hit a 2015 high on Wednesday - could boost demand for gold, which is seen as a hedge against oil-led inflation. [O/R] In other industry news, China conducted trial runs for the planned launch of a yuan-denominated gold fix last month, three sources familiar with the matter said, in a sign the world's second-biggest bullion consumer was moving closer to creating a benchmark price. Silver was down 0.6 percent at $16.43 an ounce. Platinum fell 0.1 percent at $1,141.50 an ounce, while palladium was unchanged at $789.95 an ounce. (Additional reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi in Singapore; Editing by Susan Thomas)