Silver closes on slight gains and settles near last Friday closing level

Silver prices rose slightly on Thursday's trading, amid pressure from the dollar's rebound against most major currencies due to positive economic data and optimism about trade negotiations.

US Labor data showed that the number of jobless claims fell last week to 196,000, the lowest level since 1969.

In addition, US retail sales rose 1.6% in March, the biggest monthly increase in a year and a half.

The dollar index (against a number of major currencies) rose by 0.4% to 97.4 points at 18:26 GMT, reaching a high of 97.4 points and a low of 96.6 points.

At the same time, optimism about a near trade agreement between Washington and Beijing remains the dominant market position, driving investors away from precious metals as safe havens.

Silver futures (May delivery) fell by 0.1% to $14.955 an ounce. The metal posted a weekly loss of less than 0.1%, while the session highest price at $14.99 and the lowest at $14.895.