April 13 (Reuters) - Gold prices inched higher on Thursday, helped by a softer dollar as cooler-than-expected U.S. inflation data suggested that the Federal Reserve might pause raising rates after a possible hike in May.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was up 0.1% at $2,017.19 per ounce, as of 0105 GMT. U.S. gold futures rose 0.4% to $2,032.50.
* The dollar index was 0.1% lower, making bullion cheaper for buyers holding other currencies.
* Gold prices jumped more than 1% on Wednesday after data showed the U.S. Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% last month versus expectations of a 0.2% rise, after advancing 0.4% in February.
* The CME FedWatch tool shows markets pricing in a 70.4% chance of a 25 basis-point hike in May but with rate cuts seen in the back half of the year.
* Gold is considered an inflation hedge, but rising interest rates reduce the appeal of non-yielding bullion.
* San Francisco Fed Bank President Mary Daly said on Wednesday while the Fed had "more work to do" on rate hikes, tighter credit conditions could argue for a pause.
* Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin said the Fed had more work to do in bringing inflation down to its 2% target because the latest data on price pressures was not sufficiently weak.
* Minutes from the Fed's March meeting showed several policymakers considered pausing rate increases after a forecast from Fed staff that banking sector stress would tip the economy into recession, but concluded that high inflation remained the priority.
* Spot silver was up 0.1% at $25.51 per ounce, platinum added 0.2% at $1,017.30 and palladium rose 0.5% to $1,466.82.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0130 Australia Employment, unemployment Rate March
0300 China Exports, Imports YY March
0300 China Trade Balance March
0600 Germany HICP Final YY March
0600 UK GDP Est 3M/3M Feb
0600 UK GDP Estimate MM, YY Feb
0600 UK Manufacturing Output MM Feb
1230 US Initial Jobless Clm Weekly
1230 US PPI Machine Manuf'ing March (Reporting by Kavya Guduru in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
