Gold ended flat on Thursday as weakness in other financial markets prompted bullion investors to hold their bets ahead of a speech by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke which investors will watch for clues to monetary policy. In the last eight sessions, gold has gained 3 percent on expectations that Bernanke's speech will signal easier monetary policy is on the way. Some analysts said gold might come under pressure if Bernanke does not signal imminent easing.
Spot gold was down 28 cents at $1,655.66 an ounce by 3:13 pm EDT (1913 GMT). US gold futures for December delivery settled down $5.90 an ounce at $1,657.10, with trading volume at 40 percent below its 30-day average, preliminary Reuters data showed. Silver dropped 0.8 percent to $30.43 an ounce. Spot platinum fell 0.4 percent at $1,504.75 an ounce, while spot palladium fell 2.3 percent to $613.62 an ounce.