May 14 (Reuters) - Gold prices ticked up on Thursday, buoyed by a weaker dollar, as investors focused on talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold XAU= rose 0.3% to $4,699.87 per ounce by 0045 GMT. U.S. gold futures GCcv1 for June delivery were steady at $4,706.90.

* Trump heads into a series of meetings with Xi in Beijing, aiming to secure economic wins, maintain a fragile trade truce and navigate thorny issues such as the Iran war.

* The dollar eased, making greenback-priced bullion more affordable for holders of other currencies. USD/

* U.S. producer prices posted their biggest increase in four years in April, boosted by soaring costs for goods and services, the latest sign of accelerating inflation amid the Middle East conflict.

* The U.S. Senate approved Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve as the U.S. central bank grapples with intensifying inflation that may make it hard to push through the interest-rate cuts that Trump has demanded.

* Boston Fed President Susan Collins told the Wall Street Journal that she expects inflation pressures from the Iran war to eventually subside and that the current shock has masked evidence that underlying inflation is still headed down.

* Gold discounts in India widened to a record of more than $200 an ounce on Wednesday, as a surge in prices after an import duty hike triggered investor selling in an already weak demand environment, bullion dealers told Reuters.

* Spot silver XAG= fell 0.4% to $87.64 per ounce, platinum XPT= gained 0.7% to $2,151.38, and palladium XPD= was up 0.4% at $1,506.19.

DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0600	UK GDP Est 3M/3M, MM, YY Mar
0600	UK Services MM, YY Mar
0600	UK GDP Prelim QQ, YY Q1
0600	UK Manufacturing Output MM Mar
1230	US Import Prices YY Apr
1230	US Initial Jobless Clm May 9 w/e
1230	US Retail Sales MM Apr