Gold settles below $1,250 as dollar inches up

Gold futures tilted higher in Asian trade as the dollar index gained ground, ahead of US employment data later today. 

As of 04:25 GMT, gold futures due in February shed 0.06% to $1,249.30 an ounce, while the dollar index barely added 0.03% to 97.07 against a basket of major rivals. 

Now investors await US unemployment claims data for the week ending December 8, expected with a 5 thousand drop to 226 thousand, while continuing claims are estimated with an increase of 19 thousand in the week ending December 1 to 1.650 million. 

US import prices are expected with a 1% monthly drop in November, compared to a 0.5% increase before, while expected to increase 1.3% y/y, down from 3.5%.