PRECIOUS-Gold plunges on moderate declines in profit-taking and slowing dollar

* The spot gold price is below $ 1,231 / oz – Technical Data

* Palladium near an all-time high of $ 1,185.40 / oz touched on Friday

* Stakes at SPDR Gold Trust dropped on Friday (Add comments, price updates)

By Eileen Soreng

BENGALURU, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Gold prices fell slightly as investors took profits after rising metal for four consecutive sessions last week, as prices were supported by a dollar muted in response to the Federal Reserve's concerns about the global economy.

The spot gold price was down 0.1% to $ 1,219.98 an ounce at 7:45 am GMT, after gaining about 0.7% in the previous session.

Gold futures in the United States fell 0.3% to $ 1,219.6 ounce.

"After four days of hike, gold is at a normal profit-holding level … 1,225-1,230 is a zone of resistance for gold," said Vandana Bharti, vice president Commodity Research Assistant, SMC Comtrade Ltd.

The dollar lost about 0.5% in the previous session, as Fed policymakers announced a further rise in interest rates, but also expressed concerns about a possible global slowdown.

The possibility that the Fed retains neutral prospects beyond 2018 and the slowdown in the global economy due to the wave of trade between the two countries will maintain investors' interest in the future. "The attraction of gold for safe stocks," said Benjamin Lu, commodity analyst, Phillip Futures.

A fourth rate hike this year is expected next month and politicians have already announced two more by June 2019.

"For the month of December, the rate hike is already integrated and it is very likely that it will happen," said Lu.

"What people will watch for is any decline in economic indicators that could lead to a weaker dollar, which (would) contribute to a gain in gold," he said.

The outlook for higher US interest rates is negative for gold at the dollar, as they increase the opportunity cost of holding bullion.

Investors have also been cautious about contradictory signals about the chances of a truce in the Sino-US trade dispute.

The spot gold price could end its current rebound below a resistance of $ 1,231 an ounce, and resume its downtrend from $ 1,243.28, said analyst Wang Tao Reuters technique.

Assets held by SPDR Gold Trust, the largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund in the world, fell 0.19% to 759.68 tonnes on Friday.

Hedge funds and money managers increased their net net gold position from 33,378 contracts to 70,864 contracts, according to data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. This was the highest net seller position in five weeks.

Among other precious metals, palladium was little changed at $ 1,176.97 an ounce, after peaking at an unprecedented $ 1,185.40 in the previous session.

Friday's ramping up put palladium tied with gold for the first time in 16 years.

Silver slid 0.4% to 14.36 dollars an ounce, while platinum fell 0.8% to 840.00 dollars an ounce.