Sept 23 (Reuters) - Gold prices inched lower on Monday, asequities gained after the U.S. Trade Representative describedlast week's Sino-U.S. trade talks as "productive."
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was down 0.3% at $1,512.91 per ounce, asof 0116 GMT. Prices had climbed to a more than one-week high of$1,516.81 in the previous session.
* U.S. gold futures were up 0.3% at $1,519.8 perounce.
* Spot palladium rose 0.8% to $1,654.77 per ounce,after hitting a fresh high of $1,657.09 earlier in the session.
* The dollar gained on Monday, while Wall Street stockfutures edged up in early trade, setting an upbeat tone forAsian markets.
* A U.S.-China trade deal appeared elusive on Friday afterChinese officials unexpectedly cancelled a visit to farms inMontana and Nebraska as deputy trade negotiators wrapped up twodays of talks in Washington.
* But both sides later published positive statements, withthe U.S. Trade Representative's office describing the talks as"productive" and China's Commerce Ministry calling them"constructive." October's high-level talks remain on track.
* After delivering a split-decision rate cut last week, U.S.Federal Reserve officials put their divisions on full displayFriday, with warnings of a slowdown on one hand and financialrisks on the other bookending talk of how well things are going.
* Saudi Arabia will seek to make a case at a globalgathering in New York this week for concerted action to punishand deter arch foe Iran after strikes on Saudi oil plantsrattled global markets and exposed the kingdom's vulnerabilityto attack.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday approved sendingAmerican troops to bolster Saudi Arabia's air and missiledefences after the attack on the kingdom's oil facilities.
* Global economic conditions are very complicated, and theEuropean Central Bank will likely have to take more action "inthe coming months, quarters and years," ECB governing councilmember Bostjan Vasle said in an interview aired on Sunday.
* Hedge funds and money managers raised their bullishpositions in COMEX gold and trimmed bullish bets on silvercontracts in the week to Sept. 17, the U.S. Commodity FuturesTrading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday.
* Holdings at SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largestgold-backed exchange-traded fund, rose 1.19% to 894.15 tonnes onFriday.
DATA AHEAD0715 France Markit Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs Sept0730 Germany Markit Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs Sept0800 EU Markit Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs Sept1330 Brazil Current Account, Foreign Direct Invest Aug1345 US Markit Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs Sept(Reporting by Eileen Soreng in Bengaluru; Editing by RashmiAich)