March 24 (Reuters) - Gold prices were little changed on Friday after two sessions of sharp gains, as a slightly stronger dollar countered hopes of a potential pause in the Federal Reserve's rate-hike cycle.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold was flat at $1,993.73 per ounce, as of 0104 GMT. U.S. gold futures were also unchanged at $1,996.60.
* The dollar index edged up 0.1%, making bullion more expensive for buyers holding other currencies.
* Bullion has gained nearly 0.3% so far in the week, after the Fed hinted it might pause further increases in borrowing costs after the recent collapse of two U.S. banks.
* Gold is traditionally considered a hedge against inflation, and a low interest-rate environment makes non-yielding bullion a more attractive bet.
* The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits edged down last week.
* The Bank of England raised interest rates for the 11th time in a row on Thursday, but said a surprise resurgence in inflation would probably fade fast, prompting speculation it had ended its run of hikes.
* U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sought to reassure jittery investors that American bank deposits were safe and promised policymakers had more firepower to battle any crisis.
* Spot silver eased 0.1% to $23.11 per ounce, platinum was little changed at $984.13 and palladium was 0.1% lower at $1,429.19.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0700 UK Retail Sales MM, YY Feb
0700 UK Retail Sales Ex-Fuel MM Feb
0815 France S&P Global Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs March
0830 Germany S&P Global Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs March
0900 EU S&P Global Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs March
0930 UK Flash Comp, Mfg, Serv PMIs March
1230 US Durable Goods Feb
1345 US S&P Global Mfg, Serv, Comp Flash PMIs March
(Reporting by Kavya Guduru in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
