NEW YORK, Sept 3 (Reuters) - U.S. gold futures rose to a fresh three-month high Thursday in follow-through buying from the previous session as underlying economic uncertainty prompted investors to allocate funds into safe-haven hard assets. For the latest detailed report, click on [GOL/]. GOLD * December gold GCZ9 up $4.90 at $983.40 an ounce at 10:23 a.m. EDT (1423 GMT) on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. * Ranging from $976.10 to $989.50 -- the highest price since June 5. * Wednesday's 2.3 percent rally marked the biggest one-day percentage gain for the December contract since March 19, when it rallied nearly 8 percent. * Asset-diversification demand into gold by jittery investors amid shaky equities markets propelled gold's rally - Bill O'Neill, managing director of LOGIC Advisors. * The price of gold futures has reached a new, higher trading range, and bullion investors will focus on Friday's U.S. August non-farm payrolls data to see if a test of the psychological $1,000-an-ounce barrier is possible - O'Neill. * Gold driven higher by safe-haven buying due to concerns about the U.S. financial sector, and the recent positive correlation between the metal and equities was notably broken this week - analysts. * Shares of gold mining companies, including No. 1 Barrick Gold (ABX.TO) and No. 2 Newmont Mining (NEM.N), rallied on Thursday as the price of the precious metal rose sharply. [ID:nN0391287] * Inflow related to the closure of energies and other commodities exchange-traded products because of expected new regulations on commodities market prompted investors to step up buying in gold - traders. * COMEX estimated 9 a.m. volume at 61,073 lots. * Crude futures eased to trade below $70 per barrel as Wall Street slipped. Investors view crude oil as a barometer of economic growth. * Gold/oil ratio at 14.42, up from the previous session's 14.22. Gold has outperformed oil this week, a sign that inflation expectations could be on the rise. * Spot gold XAU= at $981.40 an ounce, against $976.60 in late Tuesday dealings in New York. * London afternoon gold fix XAUFIX= was at $983 an ounce. SILVER * December silver SIZ9 up 35.50 cents, or 2.3 percent, at $15.720 an ounce, following gold's rally. * Silver futures have recently outperformed gold, helped by better economic sentiment. Usually less-liquid silver has the characteristics of both precious and industrial metals. * Ranged from $15.360 to $15.855 an ounce -- the highest level since June 5. * COMEX estimated 9 a.m. volume at 12,852 lots. * Spot silver XAG= at $15.68 an ounce, versus its previous close of $15.34. * London silver fix XAGFIX= was at $15.73 an ounce. PLATINUM * October platinum PLV9 up $11.90 at $1,242 an ounce, as gold's rally drove other precious metals higher. * U.S. auto sales released on Monday showed signs of stability, and better economic sentiment also boosted platinum group metals, which are largely used as industrial metals. * Uncertain supply due to labor actions in top platinum producer South Africa provided underlying support. * Spot platinum XPT= at $1,238 an ounce against $1,229. PALLADIUM * December palladium PAZ9 up $4.30, or 1.5 percent, at $293.25 an ounce, tracking platinum's gains. * Spot palladium XPD= at $289.50 an ounce, against its previous finish of $284.50.

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