** Shares of gold miners gain tracking rising prices of the
yellow metal, as a retreating dollar made it cheaper for
consumers
** Still, analysts believe that U.S. Fed officials' comments
on further rate hikes will weigh on prices moving ahead GOL/
** Spot Gold XAU= rose 0.79% to $1754.54, while gold
futures GCv1 were up 0.75% at $1753.3
** The U.S. dollar =USD fell 0.36%
** Top gold miners Barrick Gold Corp ABX.TO , GOLD.K and
Newmont Corp NEM.N rise 2.2% and 1.2%, respectively in
premarket trading
** U.S.-listed shares of South African miners Sibanye
Stillwater Ltd SSWJ.J , SBSW.N , Gold Fields Ltd GFIJ.J ,
GFI.N , AngloGold Ashanti Ltd ANGJ.J , AU.N and Harmony Gold
Mining Company Ltd HARJ.J , HMY.N up between 3.2% and 8.6%
before the bell
** U.S.-listed shares of Canadian miners Agnico Eagle Mines
AEM.TO , AEM.N , Yamana Gold YRI.TO , AUY.N and Kinross
Gold K.TO , KGC.N climb between 0.5% and 3.2% premarket
** Up to Monday's close, spot gold had fallen 4% YTD, while
gold futures lost 4.1%
(Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru)
((johann.mcherian@thomsonreuters.com;))