Jan 10 (Reuters) - Gold prices held steady on Wednesday,
as investors refused to make big bets ahead of a key U.S.
inflation print that could offer more clarity on when the
Federal Reserve might begin cutting interest rates.
    
    FUNDAMENTALS
    * Spot gold        rose 0.1% to $2,031.30 per ounce, as of
0151 GMT, trading in a range of about $4.
    * U.S. gold futures         rose 0.2% to $2,036.90 per
ounce.
    * Bullion prices stood ground even as the dollar index
       ticked up and yields on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes
            remained above 4%.       
    * Traders are on lookout for Thursday's U.S. consumer price
inflation report that is expected to show headline inflation
rose 0.2% in the month and by 3.2% on an annual basis.
           ,             
    * An official U.S. report revealed that consumers expect a
decline in inflation while Fed Governor Michelle Bowman stated
that the U.S. central bank's monetary policy seems "sufficiently
restrictive".   
    * Lower interest rates decrease the opportunity cost of
holding non-yielding bullion.    
    * Market participants are pricing in an about 62% chance of
a rate cut by the U.S. central bank in March, according to the
CME FedWatch tool.
    * Australia's inflation slowed to a near two-year low in
November and core inflation also eased sharply, a
softer-than-expected result that reinforced market expectations
that interest rates would not need to rise any further.
    * Australian shares         fell, dragged down by mining and
gold stocks, while Japan's benchmark Nikkei average        
opened up 0.4% higher.           
    * Spot silver        was steady at $22.96 per ounce, while
platinum        rose 0.2% to $931.75, and palladium       
gained 0.5% to $983.39.   
    
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0745  France    Industrial Output     Nov
1500  US        Wholesale Invt(y), MM Nov
1800  US        10Y Note Auc          --
2015  US        Fed's Williams speaks --
2350  Japan     Foreign Reserves      Dec    

 (Reporting by Harshit Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi
Aich)