Golden Finance reported that gold prices held steady after rising for three consecutive days as traders awaited the release of U.S. employment data, which will affect the Federal Reserve's policy outlook this year. U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for December are expected to show job growth slowing but remaining healthy, and economists expect this growth to continue in 2025. Fed officials have signaled they may keep interest rates at current levels for an extended period and only cut rates again if inflation cools significantly. The U.S. dollar index DXY was on track for a sixth week of gains as traders lowered expectations for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve in the first half of the year, while the 10-year Treasury yield neared its highest level since April last year. (Golden Ten)