CHICAGO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell on a stronger dollar Wednesday.
The most active gold contract for April delivery fell 3.3 dollars, or 0.21 percent, to settle at 1,588.4 dollars per ounce.
The U.S. Commerce Department announced Wednesday that the retail sales posted a 1.1-percent increase in February, the biggest gain in five months.
On the heels of the data, the dollar index, a gauge of the greenback against a basket of major currencies, climbed to 82.869 from 82.585 Tuesday, the highest level since early August.
Other U.S. data published Wednesday exerted little influence on gold: the Mortgage Bankers Association said the total number of mortgage applications filed in the U.S. dropped 4.3 percent last week; the Labor Department reported that prices paid for goods imported into the U.S. surged 1.1 percent for the second straight month in February, the largest increase in overall import price index since August.
Silver for May delivery lost 21.3 cents, or 0.73 percent, to close at 28.958 dollars per ounce. Platinum for April delivery fell 1.9 dollars, or 0.12 percent, to close at 1,593.1 dollars per ounce.
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