WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gold futures settled lower on Wednesday, falling for a third straight day, as investors awaited some crucial economic data for more clarity about Federal Reserve's interest rate decision.
Data on personal income and spending is due later in the week. The Commerce Department's personal income and spending report includes readings on inflation said to be preferred by the Federal Reserve.
A steady dollar weighed on gold prices. The dollar index advanced to 105.95, gaining nearly 0.25%, before easing to 105.84.
Gold futures for April ended down by $3.20 or about 0.14% at $2,324.50 an ounce, the lowest close in more than three weeks.
Silver futures for April ended marginally down at $27.324 an ounce, while Copper futures for April climbed to $4.4590 per pound, gaining $0.0245 or about 0.55%.
On the U.S. economic front, the Commerce Department released a report showing new orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods surged by more than expected in the month of March.
The report said durable goods orders soared by 2.6% in March after climbing by a downwardly revised 0.7% in February.
Economists had expected durable goods orders to spike by 2.3% compared to the 1.3% jump that had been reported for the previous month.
Excluding a surge in orders for transportation equipment, durable goods orders crept up by 0.2% in March after inching up by 0.1% in February. Ex-transportation orders were expected to rise by 0.3%.
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