Investing.com - Gold prices were flat to hiher in Asia on Thursday with investors focused on seasonal physical demand from India as families buy gold jewelry ahead of the fall wedding season and the Hindu festival of Diwali.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for December delivery traded at $1,283.80 a troy ounce, up 0.03%, after hitting an overnight session low of $1,281.10 and off a high of $1,288.30.
Overnight, gold prices edged lower in listless trading on Wednesday ahead of a flurry of economic indicators due for release on Thursday.
On Thursday, markets will move on U.S. gross domestic product data, weekly initial jobless claims and a report on pending home sales, with investors hoping the indicators will shed light on the pace of U.S. recovery as well as the future of monetary policy.
Gold has come under pressure recently on sentiments that the Federal Reserve remains on track to close up stimulus programs around October and begin raising interest rates in 2015.
Earlier Wednesday, gold prices rose as the dollar fell after German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said markets may have branded recent comments out of the European Central Bank as overly dovish.
Investors flocked to the euro after Schauble said recent comments made by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi suggesting fiscal policy could spur growth were "overinterpreted."
Draghi said week that the policy makers are ready to take more unconventional action if needed to stimulate a sluggish euro zone economy, which left many pondering the possibility that fiscal stimulus could accompany loose monetary policies to jumpstart European recovery.
Schauble's comments came at the dollar's expense, which boosted gold earlier as the two asset classes tend to trade inversely with one another.
Elsewhere, Ukraine continued to accuse Russian forces of crossing its border one day after leaders from both countries agreed to find ways to end the separatist war raging in the eastern reaches of the country.
Geopolitical events often fuel safe-haven demand for gold, though profit taking sent futures dipping into negative territory later in the session as investors braced for Thursday's data.
Silver for December delivery was up 0.20% at $19.513 a troy ounce. Copper futures for December delivery were down 0.02% at $3.194 a pound.