By Taylor Thomas
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Gold stocks rallied, shedding losses, following the Federal Reserve's Thursday statement it would begin a new program of bond buying, effectively launching a third round of quantitative easing, or QE3. The SPDR Gold Trust GLD +1.02% gained $1.16, or 0.7%, to $169.05 a share on the New York Stock Exchange. The iShares Gold Trust IAU +0.89% gained 14 cents, or 0.8%, to $17 per share. The SPDR S&P Metals and Mining ETF XME +2.06% gained 32 cents, or 0.7%, to $44.90 a share. The Market Vectors ETF Gold Miners index GDX +2.14% gained 20 cents, or 0.4%, to $50.30 a share.
