CHICAGO, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange settled slightly higher on Monday as equities retreated and U.S. dollar softened.
The most active gold contract for June delivery went up 1.6 U.S. dollars, or 0.13 percent, to close at 1,277.30 dollars per ounce.
Before the settlement of gold, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.23 percent to 25,705.51 points. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also followed Dow's fall.
When equities post losses, the precious metal usually goes up, as investors are looking for safe haven.
The U.S. dollar index, a gauge of the greenback against six major peers, fell slightly to 97.94, giving the previous metal some additional support.
As for other precious metals, silver for July delivery was up 5.7 cents, or 0.4 percent to settle at 14.445 dollars per ounce. Platinum for July delivery was down 6.10 dollars, or 0.74 percent, to close at 814.20 dollars per ounce. Enditem
