Gold edged higher on Thursday, supported by the retreating US dollar and a tumble in global equities as traders awaited US employment data seen as key to determining when the Federal Reserve may raise interest hikes. US non-farm payrolls data are due on Friday and economists polled by Reuters predict employment in July increased at the same pace as June's 223,000 rise.
Spot gold was up 0.5 percent at $1,090.11 an ounce by 1759 GMT (1:59 pm EST). The metal breached important technical support at $1,100 after a deep rout in late July pushed it as low as $1,077, its weakest since February 2010. US gold for December delivery rose 0.4 percent to settle at $1,090.10 an ounce. The dollar was down against a basket of major currencies. Weak earnings dragged stocks lower. "We're seeing a mild consolidation rally," said Bill O'Neill, co-founder of commodities investment firm LOGIC Advisors in New Jersey.