Gold closes lower after choppy trading session

Gold rose from earlier lows Thursday and briefly turned positive after a slightly weaker-than-expected jobless-claims report, but still closed below its Wednesday afternoon level after a session of choppy trading as investors moved money into stocks.

Gold for February delivery GCG5, +0.30% slid $2.20, or 0.2%, to settle at $1,208.50 an ounce, while March silver SIH5, +0.06%  fell 16 cents, or 1%, to $16.39 an ounce.