MW: Gold falls 1.5% as dollar strengthens after data
By Deborah Levine
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The dollar improved and gold futures extended losses on Thursday after the U.S. Labor Department said jobless claims fell 37,000 to 404,000 in the latest week, a bigger drop than analysts expected. The dollar index (DXY 78.80, +0.16, +0.20%) , which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, traded at 78.814, up from 78.702 before the data and from 78.594 late Wednesday. The euro (EURUSD 1.3449, -0.0032, -0.2375%) fell to $1.3443, from $1.3463 earlier and $1.3469 Wednesday. Gold for February delivery fell $19.70, or 1.5%, to $1,350.30 an ounce.
