PRECIOUS-Gold rises on softer dollar, fresh trade worries

BENGALURU, April 2 (Reuters) - Gold prices rose on Mondayafter three consecutive sessions of falls as the dollar easedamid fresh concerns of trade tensions between the United Statesand China. FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold was up 0.3 percent at $1,327.71 per ounceas of 0105 GMT. * Gold fell 1.7 percent last week in its biggest weekly dropsince the week ended Dec. 8, 2017, but climbed 1.7 percent inJanuary-March in its third straight quarterly gain. * U.S. gold futures rose 0.4 percent to $1,332.10 anounce. * The dollar index , which measures the greenbackagainst six other major currencies, eased 0.3 percent to 89.928. * China has slapped extra tariffs of up to 25 percent on 128U.S. products including frozen pork, as well as wine and certainfruits and nuts, in response to U.S. duties on imports ofaluminium and steel, the country's finance ministry said. * U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he may holdup a trade agreement reached with South Korea until after a dealis reached with North Korea on denuclearization. * Russia expelled 60 U.S. diplomats on Thursday andannounced it would eject scores from other countries that havejoined London and Washington in censuring Moscow over thepoisoning of a spy. * Hedge funds and money managers upped their net longposition in COMEX gold contracts in the week to March 27, U.S.Commodity Futures Trading Commission data showed on Friday. * Gold discounts in India narrowed last week on animprovement in demand for weddings and hopes that retailpurchases will rise next month on account of a key festival,while demand in the rest of Asia remained subdued due to higherprices. * International mining firms including Glencore andRandgold on Thursday proposed a sliding scale forroyalty rates on key commodities mined in Democratic Republic ofCongo as an alternative to a windfall tax. * Goldcorp Inc made the first gold deposit onTradewind Markets' new digitized trading platform, the companiessaid on Thursday, with 3,000 ounces of bullion from its Red Lakemine complex in Ontario. * South Africa's Gold Fields will buy a near 50percent share of Asanko Gold Inc's Ghana subsidiary andtake a stake in the Canadian miner in a $202.6 million deal, itsaid on Thursday. * Canada's Eldorado Gold Corp , filed a newtechnical report for its contentious Skouries gold mine projectin Greece on Thursday, which said it "significantly" reduces thedevelopment's environmental footprint. (Reporting by Swati Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by SubhranshuSahu) Glencore Glencore