Gold up a pinch

Gold prices rose slightly Thursday, falling short of $1,600 after hitting the year's low point Wednesday. Gold added $1.30 on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange to reach $1,595.50. Gains were so marginal, silver, which usually tags along, was left behind. Silver lost 6 cents on the day to hit $29.17 per ounce. The dollar index was flat, rising 0.09 percent on the International Exchange to 80.22. The dollar was mixed in Asia and mostly higher in Europe. The euro fell to $1.2935 from Wednesday's $1.2936. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 79.90 yen from 79.93 yen. The British pound fell to $1.6136 from $1.6147. The dollar rose to 1.0029 Canadian dollars from 1.0021 Canadian. The dollar held even against the Hong Kong dollar, trading at 7.7633. The Australian dollar fell to $1.0064 from $1.0081.