Singapore, Feb 15:  Gold was within sight of its highest level in seven months on Thursday

Singapore, Feb 15: Gold was within sight of its highest level in seven months on Thursday and could test a new high with the help of a weaker dollar.

-- Spot gold hit an intraday high of $670 an ounce and was at $669.50/670.20 an ounce by 0048 GMT, higher than $668.50/669.20 late in New York.

-- Gold jumped to a seven-month high of $671.85 an ounce on Wednesday as the dollar hit a six-week low against the euro after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said inflation pressures were beginning to ease. -- Renewed dollar weakness and a bounce in oil prices were seen as the main short-term drivers in gold. Restrained mine production and geopolitical tensions were also cited as supportive background factors that have drawn investors back to gold, whose upside target was pegged around $680.

-- Benchmark gold futures on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange, currently December 2007, fell 12 yen per gram to 2,612, having rallied to a 21-year high of 2,624 yen on Wednesday.

-- The euro was steady at $1.3135 . It had jumped to its highest since early January at $1.3152 on Wednesday.

-- Silver inched down to $13.97/14.02 an ounce from $14.06/14.11 late in New York. It had rallied to its highest since early December at $14.09 an ounce on Wednesday.

-- Platinum rose to $1,210/1,215 an ounce from $1,208/1,213 an ounce. Palladium eased to $342/347 from $343.50/346.50 an ounce.

Reuters