Gold prices inched higher on Friday, as fears over the economic fallout from mounting cases of Covid-19 overshadowed hopes of a vaccine, although the metal was on track for its worst weekly performance since late-September.
Spot gold rose 0.1% to $1,877.14 U.S. per ounce. But for the week so far, it is down 3.8%.
U.S. gold futures gained 0.2% to $1,876.50.
A Reuters tally showed novel coronavirus cases soared by more than 100% in 13 U.S. states in the past two weeks, while the global tally crossed 52.45 million, underpinning the need for more stimulus.
Top Democrats in the U.S. Congress urged renewed talks over a multi-trillion-dollar coronavirus aid proposal, but a top Republican immediately rejected their approach as too expensive.
Meanwhile, the heads of Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank warned of the economic outlook remaining uncertain.
Silver fell 0.2% to $24.18 U.S. per ounce. Platinum rose 0.3% to $882.18 U.S., while palladium was 0.9% higher at $2,351.77 U.S..