paragraph

(Reuters) - Gold was flat on Monday, as a towering U.S. dollar put pressure on demand for greenback-priced bullion and pinned it near nine-month lows seen last week.

Spot gold held its ground at $1,742.08 per ounce at 0221 GMT. U.S. gold futures dipped 0.2% to $1,739.60.

The dollar climbed back towards its highest level in about 20 years hit on Friday, keeping overseas buyers away from gold. [USD/]

"While gold prices remain below $1,753/oz it seems a move down to $1,720 is on the cards. Although there is some support around $1,730 ... given the bearish trend overall, any upside is likely to be a retracement, at best," said Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index.

Gold marked a fourth straight weekly loss on Friday, having hit its lowest since late-September a few sessions prior, hurt by the dollar's ascent and bets for steep interest rate hikes gaining traction after healthy U.S. jobs data.

"Gold has had a large move lower, and there comes a point where the market needs to pause for breath. And that's what we are seeing on gold right now," Simpson said.

Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic, until recently among the U.S. central bank's most dovish policymakers, on Friday said he "fully" supports another three quarters of a percentage point interest rate rise at the Fed's next policy meeting later this month.

Benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields steadied near the previous session's over one-week high, weighing on gold. [US/]

Higher interest rates and bond yields increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.

Meanwhile, Asian shares were mostly under water on Monday as investors braced for a U.S. inflation report that could force another super-sized hike in interest rates. [MKTS/GLOB]

Spot silver fell 0.4% to $19.23 per ounce, and platinum slipped 1.2% to $886.50.

Palladium dropped 3% to $2,116.89, after rising nearly 10% on Friday.

Gold prices flat as lofty U.S. dollar smothers appeal

Spot gold held its ground at $1,742.08 per ounce at 0221 GMT. U.S. gold futures dipped 0.2% to $1,739.60.

What is intraday trading? All you need to know

IT stocks likely to remain under pressure amid global headwinds, analysts predict

Correction in input prices are positive for consumer durable firms, says ICICI Securities

Macro data, Q1 earnings, global cues to dictate market trend this week: Analysts

ICICI Securities is 'bullish' on this real estate stock; sees a 24% upside

Continuation Pattern: What does it say about the stock's future price?

Motilal Oswal initiates coverage with a buy call on ICICI Lombard; here's what the brokerage says

Market Wrap: Eight of top 10 firms add ₹1.81 lakh crore in market cap; HUL tops chart, RIL and TCS lag

Stock market minnows lag behind; take bigger hit than blue-chips

Gold gains ₹97; silver jumps ₹527

In the international market, gold was trading higher at USD 1,777 per ounce while silver was flat at USD 20.07 per ounce.

Adani Ports Q1 net profit drops 17% to ₹1,091.56 cr

Adani Ports had clocked a consolidated net profit of ₹1,312.9 crore in the corresponding period a year ago, according to a regulatory filing.

Equity mutual funds' inflow drops 43% to ₹8,898 crore in July, AMFI data shows

The net inflows in July were lower compared to the net inflow of ₹15,495 crore seen in June, ₹18,529 crore seen in May and ₹15,890 crore in April, according to data released by Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi)on Monday.

Market Wrap: Sensex climbs 465 points; Nifty above 17,500

The 30-share BSE gauge climbed 465.14 points or 0.80 per cent to finish at 58,853.07. During the day, it jumped 546.97 points or 0.93 per cent to 58,934.90.

Manappuram Finance: Brokerages stay bullish despite a 35% drop in its net profit

In the June quarter, Manappuram Finance reported mixed results. It reported a 32% year-on-year drop in net profit at ₹282.1 crore for the first quarter of the fiscal year, compared to ₹436.5 crore in the previous fiscal.