July 23 (Reuters) - Gold prices climbed to a more than

five-week peak on Wednesday, supported by a softer U.S. dollar

and lower Treasury yields as investors looked forward to signs

of progress in U.S. trade discussions.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold was steady at $3,430.19 per ounce, as of

0051 GMT, after hitting its highest since June 16 earlier in the

session. U.S. gold futures were flat at $3,443.30.

* The U.S. dollar index languished near a two-week

low against its rivals, making greenback-priced gold less

expensive for other currency holders.

* Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields on

Tuesday touched their lowest level since July 9.

* U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Japan had

struck a trade deal that includes a 15% tariff that will be

levied on U.S. imports from the country.

* U.S. and Chinese officials will meet in Stockholm next

week to discuss an extension to the deadline for negotiating a

trade deal, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

* With an August 1 deadline looming before the imposition of

sweeping import duties on trade partners, Bessent said on Monday

the administration is more concerned with the quality of trade

agreements than the timing.

* Meanwhile, Trump continued his attack on U.S. Federal

Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling him a "numbskull" who has

kept interest rates too high, but he will be out in eight

months.

* Trump has been hammering at Powell for months for not

cutting rates and frequently raised the possibility of ousting

him.

* The U.S. central bank is widely expected to leave interest

rates unchanged at their monetary policy meeting scheduled for

next week. Gold tends to perform well in a low-interest-rate

environment.

* SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed

exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 0.82% to 954.80

tonnes on Tuesday from 947.06 tonnes on Monday.

* Spot silver eased 0.1% to $39.23 per ounce,

platinum fell 0.3% to $1,437.83 and palladium

slipped 0.7% to $1,266.49.

DATA/EVENTS (GMT)

1400 EU Consumer Confid. Flash July

1400 US Existing Home Sales June