Gold futures settled lower on Monday, losing ground after posting decent gains last week amid hopes the U.S. Federal Reserve was close to ending its tightening campaign.
Data showing a slower than expected pace of Chinese economic growth in the second quarter contributed a bit to the weak demand for the yellow metal.
On a quarterly basis, Chinese GDP was up 0.8% in the second quarter, weaker than the 2.2% growth recorded in the first quarter.
The dollar's retreat after a modest uptick helped limit gold's downside.
The dollar index, which fell to 99.75 in the Asian session, climbed to 100.18 around mid-morning, but dropped to 99.90 subsequently.
Gold futures for August ended lower by $8.00 or about 0.4% at $1,956.40 an ounce.
Silver futures for September ended down $0.176 at $25.018 an ounce, while Copper futures for September settled at $3.8440 per pound, down $0.0890 from the previous close.
