Gold heads higher as dollar slides

The dollar index fell 0.55 percent from 79.06 to 78.65. There were rare gains with the dollar climbing against the Japanese yen, the Indian rupee and the Swiss franc. Against other major currencies, the dollar fell.

Gold prices added $16.60 to $1,353.50 per troy ounce. Crude oil prices rose for the first time in five trading sessions, adding $1.82 to $82.48 per barrel.

The euro rose to $1.364 from Wednesday's $1.3515. Against the yen, the dollar rose to 83.48 yen from Tuesday's 83.33 yen.

The Australia dollar rose to $0.9894 from $0.9781. Against the Hong Kong dollar, the U.S. standard dropped to 7.7541 HKD from 7.7573 HKD.

The dollar fell to 1,129.90 South Korean won from Wednesday's 1,142.47 won.

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