The most active gold contract for February delivery rose 2.90 dollars, or 0.2 percent, to settle at 1,483.10 dollars per ounce.
After a sharp rally on Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost upward momentum on Thursday and even slipped into negative territory ahead of gold's settlement at 1:30 p.m. (ET). The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite Index followed Dow's retreat.
When equities fall, gold usually rises as investors are looking for a safe haven.
Gold found additional support from a weakened U.S. dollar. The U.S. dollar index, a measure of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, fell 0.26 percent to around 97.40.
A softening dollar will make dollar-priced gold less expensive for investors holding other currencies.
As for other precious metals, silver for March delivery was up 14.3 cents, or 0.85 percent, to close at 17.059 dollars per ounce. Platinum for January delivery fell 1.2 dollars, or 0.13 percent, to settle at 900.60 dollars per ounce.
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