0019 GMT — Gold is steady in the early morning Asian session ahead of the U.S. employment report due later in the global day. The precious metal seems to have adopted quite a cautious stance ahead of this report, says Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda, in an email. A strong report could put the $2,000/oz level under pressure, while a Fed-friendly set of figures might send gold higher again, Erlam adds. Spot gold is little changed at $2,027.83/oz. ([email protected])