Gold was stuck below a one-month high on Wednesday as progress in talks about the U.S. debt limit reduced gold's appeal as a safe-haven, offsetting monetary easing this week. U.S. debt ceiling talks, seen as a potential threat to recovery of the world's leading economy, have made some progress. The House of Representatives plans to pass a bill on a nearly four-month extension of the borrowing limit. Spot gold was flat at $1,691.46 an ounce by 1058 GMT. It hit a one-month high of $1,695.76 in the previous session but failed to retain upward momentum.