Gold futures rose on Friday on the back of mixed U.S. jobs data and weaker dollar which boosted demand for the precious metal.
Bullion prices climbed after the Labor Department also said U.S. job gains in the prior two months were bigger than initially reported, supporting views the economy's sluggish recovery was on track despite a surprise contraction in output in the final three months of 2012.
The most actively traded contract, for April delivery, rose $8.60, or 0.5%, to settle at $1,670.60 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract is up 0.9% since last Friday.
Other data, showing improved U.S. factory activity and better consumer confidence data, sent the Dow above 14,000 points for the first time since October 2007 and lifted gold and industrial commodities, led by crude oil.
The outlook for gold remains bearish, as gold prices continue to trend lower, said Matt Zeman, head of trading at Kingsview Financial. Gold futures are down 7.1% from their Oct. 4 peak of $1,798.60 a troy ounce.
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