* BoJ leaves interest rates unchanged
* Gold targets $1,446/oz - technicals(Updates prices)
By Karthika Suresh Namboothiri
Sept 19 (Reuters) - Gold prices were little changed onThursday after a sharp fall in the previous session as a lack ofclarity in the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy outlookkept investors cautious.
The Fed lowered interest rates for a second time this yearin a 7-3 vote on Wednesday but signalled further cuts areunlikely as the labour market remains strong.
The cut was widely expected, but the split vote has raisedsome concern about predicting the future path of monetarypolicy.
"Traders are disappointed by the divergence of future ratecut path and the market is unwinding expectations of a few morecuts in the months to come," said Margaret Yang Yan, a marketanalyst at CMC Markets.
Lower interest rates reduce the opportunity cost of holdingnon-yielding gold, and weigh on the dollar.
Spot gold inched 0.1% higher to $1,495.36 per ounceas of 0636 GMT, after falling as much as 1% on Wednesday.However, U.S. gold futures were down 0.8% at $1,503.
Central banks globally are facing increasing pressure todole out monetary support for flagging economies as theU.S.-China trade dispute hits global economic growth.
"Gold looks vulnerable. If the Fed is right to proceed withcaution – meaning the global environment is not as dire asstimulus-hungry markets seem to envision – that implies lessscope for overall easing," said Ilya Spivak, a senior currencystrategist at DailyFx.
A close below $1,480 would set the stage for a retest of the$1,400 level initially and may then pave the way for a deeperpullback, he said.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady butsaid it would re-examine economic and price developments morethoroughly at its next policy meeting, amid growing risks to thecountry's fragile economic recovery.
Spot gold is poised to break a support at $1,488 per ounceand fall to the next support at $1,446, according to Reuterstechnical analyst Wang Tao.
Among other precious metals, silver dipped slightlyto $17.72, and platinum and palladium were bothbarely changed at $930.34 and $1,590.79 respectively.(Reporting by Karthika Suresh Namboothiri in Bengaluru; Editingby Subhranshu Sahu and Aditya Soni)