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(Reuters)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Gold hit a record high on Thursday for the second straight day as investors focused on the precious metal's appeal as a hedge against a weakening dollar.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Spot gold rose above $1,120.00 an ounce by 0035 GMT, compared with New York's notional close of $1,117.45.
* U.S. gold futures for December delivery rose as high as $1,120.90 an ounce, a fresh record.
* The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust, said its holdings stood at 1,114.443 tons as of November 11, unchanged from the previous business day.
* Vietnam's central bank on Wednesday lifted a 1- year old ban on gold imports in a bid to stabilize the market after a sharp rise in prices helped drive the country's dong currency to a record low.
MARKET NEWS
* The dollar bounced and regained some ground after hitting a 15-month low, while sterling was under pressure after the Bank of England governor's comments on the British currency's weakness. The euro was steady at $1,4985, having risen as far as $1.5049 on trading platform EBS the previous day.
* Japan's Nikkei share average was up 0.5 percent.
* The Dow and Standard & Poor's 500 index closed at 13-month highs on Wednesday as an upbeat forecast from a top homebuilder and data from China pointed to a strengthening global economy.
* Barrick Gold Corp, the world's biggest gold producer, sees the potential for record margins in the fourth quarter as gold prices hit new peaks and costs are stable or lower, its chief financial officer said on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Risa Maeda; Editing by Chris Gallagher)
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