CHICAGO, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rallied moderately on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar index fell slightly.
The most active gold contract for December delivery rose 2.2 dollars, or 0.17 percent, to close at 1,276.80 dollars per ounce.
Gold ended its downturn for three consecutive days following a moderate fall of the U.S. dollar index.
The index, a measure of the U.S. dollar against a basket of other major currencies, fell 0.14 percent to 93.49 as of 1723 GMT.
Gold and the dollar typically move in opposite directions, which means if the dollar goes down, gold futures will rise as gold, measured by the dollar, becomes more expensive for investors.
The rise of gold, however, was curbed by upbeat equities as the Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its upturn. It went up 29.07 points, or 0.13 percent as of 1734 GMT.
Also on Wednesday, the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) released a series of September data, all pointing to strong U.S. economic performance.
The ISM services index has climbed to its highest level since August 2005, with the non-manufacturing business activity index, the new orders index and the employment index all on rise.
The signs fueled expectations for another Federal Reserve interest-rate hike later this year, limiting the rally of gold futures.
As for other precious metals, silver for December delivery went down 2.6 cents, or 0.16 percent, to close at 16.624 dollars per ounce. Platinum for next January fell 70 cents, or 0.08 percent, to settle at 914.80 dollars per ounce. Enditem
