Gold futures succumbed to a rebound in the U.S. dollar to end lower Thursday, a day ahead of a closely watched jobs report, which could influence the path of the yellow metal. Gold had spent much of the session in positive territory, trading as high as $1,288.40 an ounce, before legging lower only a few minutes before it settled on Comex. June gold finished $2.10, or 0.2%, to settle at $1,272.30 an ounce. The ICE U.S. Dollar Index , a gauge of the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was up 0.6% in most recent trade Thursday afternoon. A stronger buck can dull the allure of dollar-priced metals, making them more expensive to buyers using other currencies. An earlier rise in gold prices had been attributed to bargain-hunting ahead of Friday’s closely watched nonfarm-payrolls report set to be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The U.S. is expected to add 205,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate is forecast to tick lower to 4.9% from 5%.
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