CHICAGO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange settled lower on Friday but advanced for the third week in a row.
The most active gold contract for December delivery went down 1.4 dollars, or 0.11 percent, to close at 1,228.70 dollars per ounce.
Gold posted daily losses amid profit-taking and rise in equities, said analysts.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up 120.38 points, or 0.47 percent as of 1720 GMT. If equities post gains, the precious metal usually goes down, as investors are not necessarily looking for a safe haven such as gold.
However, geopolitical tensions and a softening U.S. dollar gave support to the precious metal.
The U.S. dollar index, a gauge of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, fell 0.34 percent to 95.66 as of 1710 GMT.
On a weekly basis, gold gained 0.55 percent, the third consecutive week that gold secured an advance.
As for other precious metals, silver for December delivery went up 4.6 cents, or 0.31 percent, to close at 14.65 dollars per ounce. Platinum for January 2019 delivery was up 4.3 dollars, or 0.52 percent, to settle at 836.00 dollars per ounce. Enditem
