CHICAGO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose on Wednesday as U.S. dollar softened. Silver gained, but platinum went down.

    The most active gold contract for February delivery climbed 7.4U.S. dollars, or 0.7 percent, to finish at 1,136.80 dollars an ounce.

    The U.S. federal budget deficit hit an all-time high for the month of December. The Treasury Department said on Wednesday that the deficit for December totaled 91.85 billion dollars.

    This disappointing news pressured dollar. By the end of gold floor trading time, the dollar index, a gauge measuring the greenback's value against six major currencies, dropped 0.055 to 77.065, which helped the precious metal end higher.

    March silver was up 29.5 cents to 18.55 dollars per ounce. April platinum fell 4.20 dollars to 1,574.40 dollars an ounce.