Two important Hindu festivals in India stirred demand for physical gold, which helped to spur higher prices in spot and futures.

Gold is off about $1.70 per ounce today, virtually all of that loss coming from dollar strength. Silver gained via regular trading strength, even with the high-dollar headwinds.

In spite of the continued surge of the U.S. dollar, gold is eking out a gain today thanks to regular trading activity. The dollar dragged gold down by 0.35% and regular trading pushed it up about 0.55%.