By Nick Godt, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold and metals futures fell on Thursday after the latest batch of reports from China fueled concerns Beijing will further reign in measures to support the economy, leading to lower demand.
Gold for April delivery fell $4.90, or 0.4%, to $1,103.20 an ounce in electronic trade.
The latest batch of data from China showed faster-than-expected inflation, still-torrid loan growth and heavy capital investment, renewing concerns the economy may be growing too fast. Read more on the latest Chinese data.
Industrial metals also fell. Copper for May delivery was down 2 cents, or 0.5%, at $3.34 a pound. Palladium for June delivery fell $13.15, or 2.8%, to $451.50 an ounce, and platinum for April lost $4.40, or 0.3%, to $1,585.80 an ounce.
"Base metals are lower this morning after Chinese inflation data stoked concerns of further monetary tightening," said George Gero, metals analyst at RBC Capital, in a note.
U.S. economic reports, including a 6,000 drop in weekly jobless claims and an unexpectedly narrower trade surplus in January failed to turn the tide for metals.
