Gold closes lower as investors parse Fed statement

Gold prices fell on Thursday, as investors continued to parse the Federal Reserve's monetary policy statements.

Today's data showed that the number of initial jobless claims in the United States decreased to 860,000 last week, while building permits were recorded in 147 million permits, and the number of homes that had begun construction recorded 1.42 million units, below expectations of 1.47 million units.

The US initial unemployment claims fell to 860,000 last week, the building permits reached 147 million, and the housing starts reached 1.42 million units, missing forecasts of 1.47 million.

The dollar index fell against a basket of currencies by 0.3% to 92.9 points as of 19:51 GMT, after it hit a high of 93.5 and a low of 92.9.

The US Federal Reserve kept the interest unchanged, and signaled that it plans to keep it near zero until the end of 2023 pledging on taking all the necessary tools and measures until the economy recovers and returns to its growth path.

Gold December futures fell 1.1% or $20.60, to close at $1,949.90 an ounce, after hitting today's high at $1,969.3 and the low at $1,938.2.