Gold Futures Eke Out Gain

Updated from 11:35 a.m. EST

Gold prices struggled to find direction in a choppy trading session Thursday but eventually closed higher, despite another up day for the greenback.

February-dated contracts added 50 cents to finish at $613.90 an ounce on the Comex division of the Nymex. The exchange-traded funds that hold bullion, iShares Comex Gold Trust (IAU Quote) and streetTracks Gold Shares (GLD Quote), were little changed.

"It's quite dispiriting to see it bounce around like this," says Matt Turner, a commodities analyst at Virtual Metals in London. "The impact of the stronger dollar on gold has been more marked because everyone was expecting a weaker dollar." ...