Gold and silver slip

Gold and silver shifted slightly lower in New York Monday in a market focused on the budget impasse in Washington. The weaker dollar provided some pressure with the dollar index up 0.15 percent to 79.65 on the International Exchange. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold for February delivery shed 60 cents or 0.04 percent to $1,659.50 per troy ounce. Silver for March delivery dropped 31 cents or 1.01 percent to $29.90 an ounce. The euro was trading at $1.3186 from Friday's 1.3189. The dollar rose to 84.82 against the Japanese yen from Friday's 84.24 yen. The Australian dollar was trading at $1.0366 from Friday's $1.0402. The British pound fell to $1.6124 from Friday's $1.6172.