2014.03.1305:58:49UTC+00Gold escalates after six-month high; copper stills

Prices of gold futures were not contented with just a six-month peak as it propelled higher on Thursday before a bunch of economic figures.

Gold to be delivered in April advanced $2.40 or 0.2%, to $1,372.90 per ounce in electronic trade. May silver increased 4 cents or 0.2%, to $21.41 per ounce. Traders will monitor US retail sales data that are anticipated to show a 0.2% gain in February, although the severe weather is definitely shadowing the results. Weekly jobless claims are also on tap, with analysts looking for a slender improvement to 330,000 in the first week of March, previously 323,000.

Chinese data on retail sales and other measures for February, to be released today, are also holding the possibility to move gold. A day before, gold keyed off weakness in equities to drive to level not observed since September, bolstered by upheaval in Ukraine and worries about a slowdown in China's economy.

Earlier bearish Chinese data continued to weigh on copper, which is off by around 13% this year and is having difficulties regaining $3 per pound. High-grade copper to be delivered in May remained steady on Thursday at $2.96 per pound.

In metals trading, April platinum surged $1.40, a 0.1% profit, to $1,477.70 per ounce. June palladium erased a quarter to $776.90 per pound.