Gold slides Tuesday

Gold for December delivery fell Tuesday on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange crude oil slid under $87 per barrel. Equities closed sharply lower on Wall Street and grain prices were mixed in Chicago. Oil, however, has lost ground in the past week, with traders concerned that the weak equities market indicates slower demand ahead. Gold closed at $1,708.20 per troy ounce Tuesday, down $19.10. Silver shed 61 cent to $31.63. The dollar was stronger across Asia and Europe with the dollar index up 0.47 percent to 79.92 on the International Exchange. The euro fell to $1.2985 from Monday's $1.3061. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 79.84 yen from 79.96 yen.