* Gold hit its highest since June 5 on Thursday
* Palladium, platinum head for weekly losses
* September rate hike odds cut to just 31%: CME FedWatch
* U.S. threatens to maintain naval blockade on Iran
(Updates prices and comment)
By Dharna Bafna
Aug 14 (Reuters) - Gold prices steadied on Friday after
pulling back from a more than two-month high, as investors
booked profits following a rally fuelled by softer U.S.
inflation data and fading expectations for a Federal Reserve
rate hike in September.
Spot gold was little changed at $4,351.45 an ounce by
1113 GMT after the contract fell 1.3% in the previous session.
U.S. gold futures for December delivery fell 0.3% to
$4,407.70 per ounce.
Bullion rallied to its highest point since June 5 on
Thursday.
"Gold is barely holding onto a weekly advance, as markets
indulge in some profit-taking following bullion's mid-week spike
to a two-month high," said Han Tan, chief market analyst at
Bybit.
"The coming week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting
minutes may yet trigger fresh volatility for spot gold, even as
traders keep a watchful eye on global oil benchmarks."
U.S. producer prices were unchanged in July, following a
revised 0.1% drop in June, while U.S. consumer prices barely
increased last month as the cost of gasoline declined for a
second consecutive month.
Traders are now pricing only a 31% chance of a rate hike in
September, down from about 44% a week earlier, according to the
CME FedWatch Tool.
Lower interest rates boost gold as it does not yield
interest.
Physical gold discounts in India widened this week to their
highest levels in more than two months as rallying prices curbed
consumption, while interest in China remained muted.
Meanwhile, oil prices climbed after Washington threatened an
open-ended naval blockade on Iran, reviving supply concerns.
In other metals, spot silver rose 0.3% to $64.66 per
ounce. Platinum was up 0.4% to $1,724.90 per ounce and
palladium gained 0.2% to $1,309.28 per ounce, both metals
were headed for a weekly drop.
(Reporting by Dharna Bafna and Swati Verma in Bengaluru;
Editing by Devika Syamnath and Joyjeet Das)