By Virginia Harrison, MarketWatch
SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — Gold futures declined in electronic trading Friday, matched by falls for the wider metals complex, while oil turned higher.
Gold for February delivery GC2G 0.00% dropped $5.50, or 0.3%, to $1,642.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange during Asian trading hours.
The falls followed a 0.5% gain for the metal in the New York session, supported by a weaker dollar.
The wider metals complex tracked gold lower, with palladium posting the heaviest falls.
March palladium PA2H -0.99% dropped $7.95, or 1.2%, to $633.30 an ounce, while April platinum PL2J -0.57% fell $12.40, or 0.8%, to $1,487.70 an ounce.
Silver for March delivery SI2H -0.35% lost 22 cents, or 0.7%, to $29.90 an ounce.
March copper HG2H -0.40% gave up 3 cents, or 0.8%, to $3.62 a pound.
Virginia Harrison is a MarketWatch reporter based in Sydney.
