Gold gains 1.5 percent

Gold prices jumped Thursday on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, as the dollar index dropped 0.34 percent. The dollar and euro reversed themselves compared with Wednesday, a sign that Wednesday's rise in the dollar prompted the correction. On the International Exchange, the dollar index reached 79.57 with the dollar lower across the board in Asia and across Europe with the exception of the Czech koruna. The euro fell to $1.287 from Tuesday's $1.2914 from Wednesday's $1.2871. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 77.60 yen from 77.75 yen. Gold gained $26.20, up 1.49 percent, reaching $1,779.80 per troy ounce. Silver settled at $34.70 an ounce, up 0.76 cents or 2.24 percent.