Spot gold held steady on Friday, consolidating after falling more than 1 percent in the previous session, as investors await a key US job market report to assess the health of the world's top economy. Spot gold was little changed at $1,416.30 an ounce by 0716 GMT, poised for a minor gain of half a percent after a choppy week. US gold futures was steady at $1,416.80 an ounce.