NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures rose Monday as a falling U.S. dollar increased the metal's appeal as an alternative investment. Surging crude-oil prices also boosted the metal's prices. Gold for February delivery rose $7.50, or 0.9%, to $828 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude oil jumped as much as 7.6% to near $50 a barrel.
