2017.03.2308:07:00UTC+00Gold In Holding Patter Ahead Of Yellen

Gold futures were little changed Thursday morning ahead of speeches from a litany of Federal Reserve officials, including Chair Janet Yellen.

Traders will be looking for clues about how many times the Fed will raise interest rates this year.

Their so-called dot plot still sees two more rate hikes, but some policymakers have hinted that three may be appropriate if inflation continues to pick up.

Yellen is scheduled to give opening remarks at a conference in Washington, D.C. at 8:45 a.m. Eastern.

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari will speak in D.C. at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

At 7 p.m., Dallas Fed President Rob Kaplan will speak on the economy and monetary policy in Chicago.

U.S. new-home sales figures are due at 10 a.m. Eastern.

In the meantime, gold was down 2 dollars at $1251 an ounce, having risen sharply since the Fed's rate call last Wednesday.