PRECIOUS-Gold slips on firm dollar, positive China factory data

 (Updates prices, adds comments and details)
    * Gold to trade between $1,450-$1,500/oz until year-end-
analyst
    * China's Nov factory activity expands at quickest pace in 3
yrs
    * U.S. manufacturing PMI data due later in the day

    By Sumita Layek
    Dec 2 (Reuters) - Gold prices fell on Monday as investors
turned to riskier assets on signs of economic growth following
reports of an expanding Chinese factory sector and a rising
dollar reduced demand.
    Spot gold        fell 0.3% to $1,459.23 per ounce by 0332
GMT. Prices earlier touched their highest since Nov. 22. U.S.
gold futures         shed 0.5% to $1,465.30.
    "A slightly stronger dollar has weighed on investor appetite
for gold, as well as some slightly more positive data, so this
is causing gold to drift a little bit lower," ANZ analyst Daniel
Hynes said.
    An unexpected expansion in factory activity during November
in China, the world's second-largest economy and biggest gold
user, spurred investors into equity markets and reduced the
interest in safe-haven bullion.              
    This followed official government data on Saturday that also
showed an expansion.             
    Investor demand for gold was further pressured by the rising
dollar, which makes dollar-denominated gold more expensive for
buyers using other currencies.                   
    The uncertainty around a resolution to the 17-month-old
trade dispute between the United States and China has supported
gold, with reports that a preliminary agreement has now stalled
because of U.S. legislation supporting protestors in Hong Kong
and Chinese demands that the United States roll back its tariffs
as part of phase one deal.                          
    "Nothing particularly has really changed (on the trade
front) from last week, the market remains in the dark about how
things will progress. Investor appetite for gold is just waning
a little bit on lack of direction," Hynes said.
    Gold has risen more than 13% this year mainly due to the
trade dispute war driving demand for safe assets.    
    "The fundamentals are still quite supportive, this lull is
not going to last too much longer. Maybe into year end we will
see gold prices recommit the uptrend we saw earlier this year,"
Hynes said, adding until then gold will trade between
$1,450-$1,500.
    Elsewhere, silver        fell 0.6% to $16.92 per ounce,
platinum        shed 0.4% to $896.72 and palladium        was
down 0.1% to $1,840.09.

 (Reporting by Sumita Layek in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian
Schmollinger)