SINGAPORE, March 19 (Reuters) - Gold rose on Monday as firm
oil prices prompted safe haven buying from investors, but gains
may be capped by worries that India's plan to double its import
duty for bullion could lead to a temporary slip in purchases. 	
        	
    FUNDAMENTALS	
    * Spot gold added $6.45 to trade at $1,659.94 an
ounce by 0025 GMT after posting its second-biggest weekly
decline this year last week on fading expectations of more
monetary easing in the United States.	
    * U.S. April gold rose $4.8 to $1,660.60 an ounce.	
    * India's gold imports could fall temporarily after the
government doubled its import duty but the world's biggest buyer
of bullion is unlikely to be deterred for long by a four percent
levy. 	
    * The fall in gold prices has prompted one or more central
banks to buy as much as four tonnes of bullion in recent weeks,
according to an industry source and a Financial Times report on
Friday. 	
    * For the top stories on metals and other news, click
, or 	
    	
    MARKET NEWS	
    * U.S. crude oil futures edged up early on Monday, extending
the previous session's gains as concerns over Iran's disputed
nuclear programme continued to stoke supply disruption fears.
 	
    * The yen was on the defensive with the euro reaching a
fresh five-month high against the Japanese currency, while the
dollar nursed losses following a setback late last week. 	
    * Japan's Nikkei share average gained, supported by buying
of blue chip laggards as market players looked for fresh proof
of a U.S. economic recovery before pushing the benchmark higher.
 	
    DATA/EVENTS	
    0900 - EURO ZONE JAN CURRENT ACCOUNT DATA    	
    0900 - ITALY JAN INDUSTRIAL ORDERS, SALES    	
    1230 - CHICAGO FED MIDWEST MANUFACTURING INDEX FOR JANUARY  	
    1400 - U.S. NAHB INDEX FOR MARCH  	
        	
  Precious metals prices 0025 GMT
  Metal             Last    Change  Pct chg  YTD pct chg    Volume
  Spot Gold        1659.94    6.45   +0.39      6.15
  Spot Silver        32.54    0.00   +0.00     17.52
  Spot Platinum    1673.50    6.04   +0.36     20.14
  Spot Palladium    699.50    1.00   +0.14      7.20
  COMEX GOLD APR2  1660.60    4.80   +0.29      5.99         1995
  COMEX SILVER MAY2  32.62    0.01   +0.03     16.84          556
  Euro/Dollar       1.3169
  Dollar/Yen         83.44
 

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