Aug 22 (Reuters) - Gold prices held steady on Friday as

investors refrained from taking any big bets ahead of U.S.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the annual

Jackson Hole symposium that could offer fresh clues on the

monetary policy path.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold was steady at $3,337.12 per ounce, as of

0042 GMT. U.S. gold futures for December delivery were

unchanged at $3,380.30.

* The U.S. dollar index hovered near a one-week high

and was set for a weekly gain, making gold less attractive to

overseas buyers.

* Fed officials appeared lukewarm on Thursday to the idea of

a rate cut next month as investors geared up for Powell's

speech, due at 1400 GMT on Friday.

* The market is waiting to see if his speech offers any

clarity on whether the central bank will cut rates at its

September 16-17 meeting.

* Futures markets indicate a 75% chance of a quarter-point

rate reduction next month, according to CME's FedWatch tool.

* U.S. jobless claims rose last week by the most in nearly

three months, while unemployment claims in the prior week hit a

near four-year high, signaling recent labor market softness

continued into August.

* The challenge for Fed policymakers is that even as there

have been signs of labor market weakening, inflation remains

above the central bank's 2% target and could well go higher due

to the Trump administration's aggressive hiking of tariffs on

imports.

* On the geopolitical front, Russian President Vladimir

Putin is demanding that Ukraine give up all of the eastern

Donbas region, renounce ambitions to join NATO, remain neutral

and keep Western troops out of the country, three sources

familiar with top-level Kremlin thinking told Reuters.

* Elsewhere, spot silver was down 0.2% to $38.08 per

ounce, platinum fell 0.4% to $1,347.50 and palladium

held steady at $1,111.07.

DATA/EVENTS (GMT)

0500 Japan Chain store sales YY July

0600 Germany GDP detailed QQ SA, YY NSA Q2

0645 France Business climate mfg, overall August

(Reporting by Anmol Choubey in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu

Sahu)