(Updates prices throughout with U.S. markets close, adds gold

and oil settlements)

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S&P 500, Nasdaq end higher in choppy trading

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Bond yields fall, yen gains as safe havens garner demand

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Spot gold hits record high

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Oil eases as traders weigh slowdown risks

By Amanda Cooper, Chibuike Oguh

NEW YORK/LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - Global shares edged

higher in choppy trading on Tuesday, while safe-haven gold

soared to a record peak as markets awaited details of U.S.

President Donald Trump's tariff plans.

Investors are bracing for Trump's so-called Liberation Day on

Wednesday, when he has promised to unveil a massive reciprocal

tariff plan.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said reciprocal tariffs

on countries that impose duties on U.S. goods would take effect

immediately after Trump announces them, while a 25% tariff on

auto imports will take effect on Thursday.

An announcement is scheduled on Wednesday for 4 p.m. EDT

(2000 GMT), Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday.

On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ended

higher after losing ground earlier in the session, with gains in

consumer discretionary communication services, consumer staples

and technology stocks offset by losses in healthcare and

financial equities. The Dow finished a shade lower.

"In terms of the upcoming tariff announcement, we still

don't know which countries they'll be imposed on and what rate.

It's fair to say that the administration might not have the

final plan ready as yet," Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid

said.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.03% to

41,989.96, the S&P 500 rose 0.38% to 5,633.07 and the

Nasdaq Composite rose 0.87% to 17,449.89.

European stocks rallied, recovering from the

previous day's bout of profit-taking, particularly in assets

that are highly vulnerable to U.S. tariffs.

The benchmark pan-European STOXX 600 index, which rose 5.1%

in the first three months of the year, ended up 1%, with

technology, industrial and financial stocks leading the way.

Uncertainty is running high. Various measures of stock, bond

and currency volatility have risen sharply in the past few days,

reflecting the challenge for investors of trading the unknown.

Gold eased after hitting a new record high for a

fourth straight session, hitting $3,148.88 per ounce. It fell

0.15% to $3,118.25 an ounce, while U.S. gold futures

settled 0.1% lower at $3,146.

Mark Malek, chief investment officer at SiebertNXT, said

investors are not just faced with uncertainty from tariffs but

they are also worried about the possibility of a looming

economic slowdown given weakness in recent data.

Data from the Institute for Supply Management showed U.S.

manufacturing contracted in March after growing for two straight

months. A separate report from the Labor Department showed U.S.

job openings fell in February.

"I can tell you anecdotally that the number of client calls

that we've been taking lately has increased and it's not

necessarily about tariffs but they are worried about the

economy," Malek said. "They are losing confidence, and that's

investor confidence - which is a tough thing to fight."

Demand for the safety of Treasuries sent yields lower, with

benchmark 10-year note yields falling 8 basis points

to 4.165%. In Europe, the yield on benchmark German 10-year

Bunds fell 0.3 basis point to 2.679%.

Investor caution toward U.S. assets has resulted in

continued pressure on the dollar, which posted its worst

first-quarter performance against a basket of currencies

in nine years this year, with a drop of nearly 4%.

The Japanese yen held firm, as did the Swiss franc, as

traditional safe-haven assets drew demand.

The yen strengthened 0.25% against the greenback

to 149.57 per dollar. Against the Swiss franc, the

dollar weakened 0.07% to 0.884 franc. The euro was down

0.25% at $1.079.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback

against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro,

rose 0.04%.

The Australian dollar strengthened 0.48% versus the

greenback to $0.6276. The RBA held rates at 4.1%, having just

cut them by a quarter-point in February for the first time in

over four years.

Bitcoin gained 3.15% to $85,033.03.

Oil prices edged lower as traders weighed reciprocal tariffs

from Trump and his threats to impose secondary tariffs on

Russian crude and attack Iran.

Brent futures settled 0.37% lower at $74.49 a

barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell

0.39% to $71.20.