Gold held steady early on Tuesday as the dollar eased after reports that two former aides of U.S. President Donald Trump were charged by federal authorities probing Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Fundamentals

* Spot gold was little changed at $1,276.32 per ounce at 1254 GMT. The yellow metal has shed about 0.2 percent so far in October, in what could be its second straight monthly decline.

* U.S. gold futures for December delivery were little changed at $1,277.30.

* The dollar index against a basket of currencies held on to its losses from the previous session, when it fell about 0.4 percent.

* U.S. consumer spending recorded its biggest increase in more than eight years in September, likely as households in Texas and Florida replaced flood-damaged motor vehicles, but underlying inflation remained muted.

* Asian stocks were mostly sluggish on Tuesday following weakness on Wall Street with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gaining 0.1 percent.

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