NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures finished lower on Friday and for the week, as a drop in U.S. consumer sentiment fueled concerns that China will further tighten access to money offset a weaker dollar.
Gold for April delivery finished down $6.50, or 0.6%, at $1,101.70 an ounce at the New York Mercantile Exchange. For the week, gold fell 2.4%.
The contract earlier had benefited from a weaker dollar and a jump in crude-oil prices after the International Energy Agency raised its global demand forecast and as U.S. retail sales rose more than expected in February.
