"I think that's what's driving gold lower, the dollar higher and the S&P market lower," said Michael Matousek, head trader at US Global Investors. "Companies are theoretically going to make less money because they will get that tax." After the latest US-China tariff development, the dollar index extended earlier gains against a basket of currencies, including the yuan, while the S&P 500 declined.
Spot gold lost 0.5 percent at $1,195.21 per ounce by 1:35 p.m. EDT (1735 GMT), having hit its highest since Aug. 28 at $1,212.65 on Thursday. It has risen more than 0.1 percent so far this week, on track for its first weekly gain in three. US gold futures for December delivery settled down $7.10, or 0.6 percent, at $1,201.10 per ounce.
The months-long trade tension between Washington and Beijing has prompted investors to buy the US dollar, in the belief that the United States has less to lose from the dispute. Gold prices have declined about 12 percent from a peak of $1,365.23 in April amid the intensifying global trade tensions and rising US interest rates.
In other precious metals, spot silver dropped 0.4 percent at $14.10 per ounce, headed for a 0.1 percent weekly increase. Palladium declined 0.4 percent at $978.30, and was poised for a 0.1 percent weekly decline. Platinum declined 0.9 percent at $793 an ounce after touching a one-month high at $812.30 on Thursday, to end the week up about 1.9 percent.
"We've seen some traders dipping their toes back in platinum, which is at a near record discount to gold," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank. Platinum's discount to gold has narrowed to $398 an ounce from $417 a week ago and a record of $426 in April.