Indicative of sentiment, SPDR Gold Trust GLD, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.2% to 990.82 tonnes on Wednesday from Tuesday. By Nakul Iyer Dec 2 (Reuters) - Gold prices eased on Thursday as investors gauged the U.S. Federal Reserve's response to inflationary risks and economic recovery concerns amid the new Omicron coronavirus variant. In congressional testimony on Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank needs to be ready to respond to the possibility that inflation may not recede in the second half of 2022.