Gold ticked up on Thursday and was likely to trade in a tight range as year-end approaches, but dealers still expected some buying related to credit rating warnings in Europe. Spot gold rose $2.36 an ounce to $1,386.91 an ounce by 0706 GMT. Gold was well below a historical high of around $1,430 hit earlier this month.
In other markets, resources-linked stocks rose and oil climbed towards the $91 per dollar mark after latest US data offered yet another sign that the world's biggest economy is on the mend. In main consumer India, gold demand was moderate on Wednesday as prices softened on a stronger rupee, but traders said the underlying appetite remained strong and many buyers kept to the sidelines waiting for bigger dips as the year-end drew closer.