CHICAGO, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose on Tuesday as the U.S. dollar weakened.
The most active gold contract for April delivery rose 19.70 U.S. dollars, or 1.01 percent, to close at 1,973.50 dollars per ounce.
Short covering after two days of falling also lent support to gold.
Economic data released on Tuesday dampened gold. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home prices cooled in January, up only 3.8 percent nationally than they were a year earlier. This is down from 5.6 percent in December.
The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index rose to 104.2 in March from 103.4 in February.
Silver for May delivery rose 27.50 cents, or 1.19 percent, to close at 23.42 dollars per ounce. Platinum for July delivery fell 10.60 dollars, or 1.08 percent, to close at 971.90 dollars per ounce. ■
