CHICAGO, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange edged down on Tuesday as the U.S. Federal Reserve started a two-day meeting on monetary policy.
The most active gold contract for August delivery slid 2.20 U.S. dollars, or 0.18 percent, to settle at 1,252.10 dollars per ounce.
The U.S. dollar Index inched down 0.04 percent to reach 93.99 as of 1701 GMT, still hovering near a 13-month low against a basket of other major currencies.
The Federal Reserve began its two-day meeting on Tuesday, and traders are not expecting the Fed to change its monetary policy.
Some analysts say there may be some changes to the wording of their statement clarifying the Fed's tightening cycle when the meeting ends on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 134.46 points, or 0.63 percent, to 21,647.63 as of 1711 GMT. When equities post gains, the gold futures usually go down, since investors are not necessarily looking for safe haven.
As for other precious metals,silver for September delivery rose 9.9 cents, or 0.6 percent, to close at 16.542 dollars per ounce. Platinum for October declined by 0.5 dollars, or 0.05 percent, to settle at 931.80 dollars per ounce. Enditem
