Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose modestly higher on Monday as U.S. dollar eased and equities fell.

The most active gold contract for February delivery was up 1.80 U.S. dollars, or 0.14 percent, to settle at 1291.30 dollars per ounce.

The U.S. dollar index, a gauge of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, retreated 0.14 percent to 95.55 as of 1829 GMT.

Gold and the dollar typically move in opposite directions. When the dollar goes down, gold futures usually rise as gold, priced in the dollar, becomes less expensive for investors holding other currencies.

The yellow metal found additional support in Wall Street stocks as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite index all suffered moderate losses on Monday.

When equities go down, the precious metal usually gains, as investors are looking for a safe haven.

As for other precious metals, silver for March delivery went up 3 cents, or 0.19 percent, to close at 15.686 dollars per ounce. Platinum for April delivery was down 15.5 dollars, or 1.89 percent, to settle at 802.50 dollars per ounce. Enditem