Bullion prices ended lower at Comex on Friday, 14 September 2018. Gold futures ended lower on Friday as some upbeat U.S. economic data provided support for the dollar, but carved out a modest rise for the week.

December gold fell $7.10, or 0.6%, to settle at $1,201.10 an ounce, with the precious metal booking a weekly rise of 70 cents from the week-ago finish of $1,200.40. Prices had suffered losses over the previous two weeks.

December silver fell 0.7% to $14.142 an ounce. That was the lowest settlement for a most-active contract since January 2016. The metal lost 0.2% for the week.

The buck moved up Friday, pressuring prices for dollar-denominated gold, after data showed that U.S. industrial production rose by a bigger-than-expected 0.4% in August. That was the third monthly increase. Consumer sentiment in September climbed to 100.8 from 96.2 in August.

As measured by the U.S. ICE Dollar Index, a gauge of the buck against a half-dozen currencies, edged up 0.4% to 94.928 in Friday trade.

The U.S. and China trade war will be closely looked at next week, with the Chinese economy seeing some effects from the dispute

Economic data on Friday showed that U.S. retailers posted the weakest sales in August in six months, as only an increase in purchases at gas stations prevented an outright decline. However, the soft patch in spending is seen as unlikely to last. Retail sales rose a scant 0.1% in August.

Meanwhile, the import price index sank 0.6% in August, marking the second straight month and the biggest drop in 2 ½ years for the cost of goods imported into the country, largely reflecting lower oil prices. A report on industrial production for August showed a rise of 0.4%, the Federal Reserve reported, representing the third monthly increase.

Separately, the confidence of Americans in the U.S. economy and their own well-being rose toward the end of summer and stood near a 14-year high. Business inventories rose 0.6% in July.