Gold prices steadied on Wednesday, as escalating unrest in the Middle East and North Africa underpinned safe-haven demand, but a modest rebound in the dollar could weigh on the sentiment as fears on Japan's nuclear crisis eased. Spot gold was little changed at $1,428.50 an ounce by 0656 GMT. US gold futures was nearly flat at $1,428.80. Spot silver inched down 0.3 percent to $36.22, just off the 31-year high of $36.70 hit on March 7.