Gold futures on the COMEX Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange ended a tad lower on Monday, as some traders chose to take profits following weekly gains of 2. 9 percent, and a stronger dollar also weighed on the bullion.

The most active gold contract for April delivery dropped 1.5 dollars, or 0.1 percent, to 1,774.9 dollars per ounce.

The greenback strengthened on Monday, dragging the euro down from a three-month high, after finance ministers from the world's 20 leading economies refused to boost funding for the International Monetary Fund until the euro zone boosts the size of its own firewall.

The precious metal came under pressure, as the newly-gained strength in U.S. dollar curbed demand for the dollar-denominated bullion as an alternative asset.

Traders also attributed the continued decline in gold prices to the sharp gains last week based on economic optimism and a Greek bailout deal, which prompted some investors to cash out of their positions in gold.

The precious metal price has kept climbing for three session in a row last week, and on Thursday it hit the highest level since Nov. 11, 2011.

Silver for March delivery rose 18.6 cents, or 0.5 percent, to 35.524 dollars per ounce.