Gold was steady below $1,300 an ounce on Wednesday as weaker equities burnished its appeal as a hedge, with investors waiting for cues from minutes of the US Federal Reserve's April policy meeting due later in the day. Platinum rose as labour strikes in top producer South Africa dragged on for a 17th week and after an industry report said a shortage of the metal was set to widen this year. Spot gold was little changed at $1,294.00 an ounce by 0642 GMT, while platinum rose 0.7 percent to $1,471.30.