Ammon News - Gold prices dipped on Thursday, pressured by a firmer dollar and easing market tensions after U.S. President Donald Trump said it was "highly unlikely" he would dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Spot gold was down 0.2% at $3,340.79 per ounce, as of 0400 GMT. U.S. gold futures fell 0.4% to $3,347.10.

The dollar index edged 0.1% higher against its rivals, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for other currency holders.

"Gold dropped $3,340/oz as the U.S. dollar regained ground following eased uncertainty over the Federal Reserve chair's position" said Jigar Trivedi, senior commodity analyst at Reliance Securities.

Trump is open to the idea of firing Fed's Powell, a source told Reuters on Wednesday.

However, Trump said on Wednesday that he is not planning to fire Powell, but kept the door open to the possibility and renewed his criticism of the central bank chief for not lowering interest rates.

SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 0.33% to 950.79 tons on Wednesday from 947.64 tons in the prior session.

Elsewhere, spot silver edged 0.1% higher to $37.98 per ounce. Platinum rose 0.2% to $1,419.67 and palladium nudged 0.1% lower to $1,230.14. Reuters