Daily Gold Update

Source: Marketwatch

New York— Gold futures finished slightly lower on Thursday, tracking Wall Street stocks' and commodities' broad move down on the back of mixed tech earnings and economic reports. March gold futures finished down 90 cents at $1,084.80 an ounce at the New York Mercantile Exchange. The precious metal rose as high as $1,096.90 an ounce earlier in the session, receiving a boost from President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, which focused on job creation.

"Obama had some soothing words about the economy and banks," said Mark O'Byrne, executive director at GoldCore. Equity markets and gold first rose in unison, he said. Speaking to the nation and members of Congress in a high-stakes policy address, Obama late Wednesday called for new job-creation measures and tax breaks, and he curbed his attacks on banks somewhat. See full story.