Gold pulled back modestly Thursday after hitting its highest price since last summer.
Gold for April delivery fell $1.70 to settle at $976.50 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after rising as high as $987.90 an ounce earlier in the session.
Gold prices have climbed about 10 percent this year.
Other metals prices ended mixed Thursday. March silver fell 35.5 cents to finish at $13.94 an ounce, while May copper futures gained 3.35 cents to close at $1.488 a pound.
Meanwhile on the Nymex, energy prices rebounded as new government data showed an unexpected fall in oil inventories. The report also indicated that gasoline consumption might be starting to edge higher.
Light, sweet crude for April delivery rose $2.77, or 7 percent, to settle at $40.18 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The vast majority of trades have shifted to the April contract with the March contract expiring Friday. March crude fell 31 cents to settle at $34.62 a barrel.
In other Nymex trading, gasoline futures rose 3.34 cents to settle at $1.0986 a gallon. Heating oil gained 5.76 cents to settle at $1.2045 a gallon. Natural gas fell 13.6 cents to settle at $4.078 per 1,000 cubic feet.
On the Chicago Board of Trade, grain prices were mixed.
Wheat for March delivery rose 8.75 cents to $5.195 a bushel, while March corn gained 4 cents to $3.5325 a bushel. March soybeans slid 3 cents to
