Investing.com - Gold prices were flat on Thursday after the arrest of a top executive at China-based Huawei Technologies sparked worries that it could reignite the U.S.-Sino trade dispute.
Comex gold futures for February delivery inched up 0.04% to $1,243.05 a troy ounce as of 8:52 AM ET (13:52 GMT).
Market sentiment was on edge after Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer at smartphone company Huawei was arrested in Canadaon an an extradition request by the U.S. The U.S. has been investigating whether or not she violated sanctions against Iran.
The news could put the most recent call for a trade truce between the U.S. and China in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, disappointing jobs datapushed the U.S. dollar lower, which helped boost some demand for gold.
Initial jobless claims rose more than expected, while the ADP (NASDAQ:ADP) payrolls number was less than predicted.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a basket of six major currencies, fell 0.15% to 96.86.
Other metals were lower on the Comex, with silver futures falling 0.95% to $14.44 a troy ounce. Platinum futures decreased 1.26% to $791.80 while palladium Futures fell 1.37% to $1,167.90 an ounce. Copper futures was down 1.80% to $2.724 a pound.