July 27 (Reuters) - Gold prices were steady on Tuesday, pinned below the key $1,800 per-ounce level, as investors turned cautious ahead of this week’s U.S. Federal Reserve meeting outcome for clues on when the central bank might rein in its easy monetary policies. FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold was flat at $1,798.61 per ounce, as of 0108 GMT. * U.S. gold futures fell 0.1% to $1,797.80 per ounce. * The dollar index was steady and hovered just below recent peaks on Tuesday. The greenback has been rising broadly for more than a month as markets are wary of the Fed starting to taper its monetary support. * Fed officials are likely to affirm after their two-day meeting that a strong U.S. recovery and their planning for an eventual policy shift both remain underway. * Large stimulus measures tend to support gold, which is often considered a hedge against inflation and currency debasement. * According to a Reuters poll, global economic growth prospects are holding strong for this year and next, however, majority of economists warned new variants of the coronavirus pose the biggest risk to that outlook. * Net gold imports of gold into the world’s biggest bullion consumer China via Hong Kong jumped nearly 42% last month after a slump in May, data showed on Monday. * Holdings of the SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.2% to 1,025.64 tonnes on Monday, the lowest since May 13. The ETF has seen outflows of about 20 tonnes so far in July. * Silver fell 0.1% to $25.14 per ounce, palladium was down 0.4% at $2,647.85, while platinum was flat at $1,063.93. DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 1230 US Durable Goods June 1400 US Consumer Confidence July U.S. Federal Open Market Committee starts its two-day meeting on interest rates Reporting by Eileen Soreng in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.