The price of gold was moving lower Friday morning, with the US dollar trading steady versus a basket of currencies ahead of the release of jobs data.
Gold for August delivery, the most actively traded contract, lost $15.70 to $1,236.20 an ounce.
Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, were unchanged at 964.69 tons.
Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar advanced toward a fresh 6-week high versus the euro and jumped toward a four-month high against sterling. The buck was steady around its one-month high versus the Swiss franc and the yen.
In economic news, Germany's factory orders declined unexpectedly in May largely due to subdued demand from euro area, a report from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology revealed. Factory orders slipped 1.3 percent from a month ago, when it was down 2.2 percent. It was forecast to grow 1.2 percent.
Meanwhile, Swiss consumer prices declined less than expected in June, a report from the Federal Statistical Office showed. The consumer price index fell 0.1 percent year-on-year in June compared with forecast for a 0.4 percent decline. This followed a 0.5 percent drop in May and 1.1 percent fall in June 2012.
Elsewhere, the prices of silver and platinum were moving lower in morning deals.
From the U.S., the Labor Department will come out with its unemployment report at 8.30 a.m ET. Economists estimate non-farm payroll gains of 161,000 for June, slower than the 175,000 pace witnessed in the May. Specifically, private payrolls are expected to have expanded by 175,000 compared to 178,000 in the previous month. The unemployment rate is expected to tick down to 7.5 percent.
