US retail sales figures for October were up 0.3% from September but lower than forecasts of 0.5%.
The country's industrial production rose 1.1% in October but was still 5.6% lower than its pre-pandemic February level.
The S&P 500 closed 0.48% lower, the FTSE 100 lost 0.87% but Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.42%.
Market futures were mixed.
The gold price was about US$1,881 an ounce on the spot market.
Standard Lithium (TSXV: SLL), which started operations at its direct lithium extraction demonstration plant in Arkansas in September, closed up 21% to a 52-week high.
Among the mining majors, Barrick Gold closed 1.89% lower in Toronto, Antofagasta fell 4.32% in London and BHP was down slightly in morning Australian trade.