US gold futures end down as dollar rises,oil falls

NEW YORK, March 9 - U.S. gold futures finished lower on Friday, ending a streak of solid gains in the last three sessions as the dollar rose and crude oil weakened.
Most-active gold for April delivery on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange settled down $3.50 at $652.00 an ounce, after bottoming at $650.00. It hit a session high of $659.80.
Gold futures rose early after encouraging U.S. job data eased worries over economic weakness and some analysts speculated inflationary concerns may have lured in buying.
George Gero, vice president at RBC Capital Markets Global Futures, said that sell-stops pushed the April contract lower after an early rally and that institutional interest had improved in gold.

Gero said position squaring by investors ahead of the weekend weighed on the market.
The April contract has gained nearly $20 from its six-week low of $634.50 on Tuesday.
Trading was moderate with volume estimated at 25,000 contracts, and options turnover at 18,000. Turnover in the Chicago Board of Trade's electronically traded 100-oz gold contract was 38,150 contracts as of 2:21 p.m. EST (1921 GMT). (http://www.cbot.com/cbot/pub/page/)
The U.S. economy added 97,000 jobs in February, the smallest gain in two years, but job growth in prior months was revised higher and the unemployment rate dropped.