Gold inched lower on Friday as Asian stocks and the dollar firmed after upbeat U.S. private sector job figures appeared to boost the prospects for an interest rate hike this month. Investors will be looking out for further clues on the outlook for rates in U.S. non-farm payroll data due later in the day.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold had dropped 0.2 percent to $1,262.95 per ounce by 0054 GMT. It has fallen 0.3 percent for the week and could register its first weekly decline in four weeks.

U.S. gold futures fell 0.4 percent to $1,265.60 an ounce.

* The dollar hit a one-week high against the yen early on Friday and was last at 111.61 yen.

* MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.2 percent.

* Former FBI Director James Comey will testify next Thursday before a U.S. Senate panel investigating Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, in a hearing that could be difficult for Trump.

* Federal funds futures implied traders saw a 96 percent chance the U.S. central bank would increase key overnight borrowing costs by a quarter point, to 1.00-1.25 percent, at its June 13-14 policy meeting, CME Group's FedWatch program showed.

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