Gold closed higher on Friday, marking its second straight weekly gain in the international market, as the euro firmed, US and European shares fell and the US consumer price report supported the view that the Federal Reserve has leeway to
keep up its monetary easing.
Gold holdings of SPDR gold trust, the largest ETF backed by the precious metal, declined to 1,233 tons, as on March 16.
Silver holdings of ishares silver trust, the largest ETF backed by the metal, increased to 10,733.6 tons, as on March 16.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six rivals, traded at 82.277 compared with 82.605 in late North American trading on Thursday.
International lenders and Cyprus agreed a bailout deal worth 10bn Euros for the Mediterranean island early on Saturday. Under the emergency lending program, Cyprus agreed to increase its nominal corporate tax rate by 2.5% to 12.5% - Reuters.
The euro zone remains vulnerable to shocks because of weak banks and incomplete regulatory safeguards, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday, in a warning to European leaders not to slacken their efforts to build a more resilient financial system.
Copper & other metals fell sharply on Friday, with appetite for risk waning after the release of a set of mixed economic data from the United States while rising stocks of the metal in China reinforced uncertainty about future demand.
Crude oil futures climbed, as investors weighed support from a weaker dollar against pressure from a drop in US consumer sentiment, but prices still closed out the week almost 2% higher.
Brent crude oil rose to near $110 per barrel, as strong US economic data fuelled prospects of increased demand in the world's top oil consumer, while concerns over supply from the Middle East added support.
Natural gas futures extended their winning streak for the third straight session on Friday, advancing to their highest level in 4-months on forecasts that cold temperatures will persist across most of the US in the coming weeks.
The number of natural gas drilling rigs working in the US rose by 24 in the latest week to 431 while oil-rig counts were unchanged at 1,341, according to oil field services company Baker Hughes Inc.
