Gold prices down a fourth straight session, tally a loss for the month

Gold futures marked a fourth straight session decline on Thursday, ending more than 2% lower for the month, according to FactSet data. A “strong U.S. dollar and rising interest-rate expectations continue to weigh on the precious metal, with the metal once again unable to benefit from the ongoing risk aversion in the markets,” said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com, in a Thursday note. August gold declined $10.20, or 0.6%, to settle at $1,807.30 an ounce, the lowest most-active contract finish since February.

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