Gold futures climbed on Friday after a report indicated U.S. employers last month added the slightest number of jobs since September, prompting buying in the metal on concerns about a further economic slowdown.
Gold for August delivery gained $9.70, or 0.6%, to $1,542.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold gained 0.3% for the week.
At the same time, silver for July delivery regained from steep losses earlier in the day, ending the session fundamentally flat. The contract decreased by 1 cent to $36.19 an ounce.
Silver lost 4.4% on the week, which embraced a 4% dip on Thursday.
The dollar index, which measures the note’s performance against a basket of six rival currencies, turned lower by the jobs report. The index recently traded at 73.753, compared with 74.301 in North American trade late Thursday.
