Gold prices crawled up early Thursday, supported by a softer dollar and weaker Asian equities.

       FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold edged up 0.2 % to $1,144.36 an ounce by 0044 GMT. Gold has risen about 8 % so far this year despite an 8 % drop in November.

* U.S. gold futures were up 0.4 % at $1,145.40 per ounce.

* The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, eased 0.2 % at 103.13.

* The dollar sagged against the yen early on Thursday as U.S. yields dropped overnight to two-week lows, but the greenback managed to hold steady against the euro and pound. 

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* Asian shares slipped on Thursday after Wall Street suffered a mild setback after weeks of gains. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was off a slight 0.1%.