Gold extended losses into a third session on Friday, dropping to a one-week low, on expectations that plunging oil prices could sap inflationary pressure, curbing the metal’s appeal as a hedge.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Gold refuses $1200 with a good rOUnding pattern on the charts. Danger of revisiting $1150 ...</p>— Gurumurthy K (@gurukmurthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/gurukmurthy/status/538287318855974913">November 28, 2014</a></blockquote>

Oil hit four-year lows around $70 a barrel on Thursday, as OPEC resisted the temptation to cut back production following the more than 30 per cent plunge in prices since June. The drop in oil prices, along with the resulting strength in the dollar, hurt gold which is often seen as a hedge.

“Precious metals declined as lower oil prices prompted concerns about deflation,’’ said ANZ analyst Victor Thianpiriya.

Spot gold had fallen 0.5 per cent to $1,185.10 an ounce by 0257 GMT. It hit $1,183.90 earlier in the session — its lowest since November 20.

The metal has lost over 1 per cent for the week, snapping a three-week rally.

US gold futures slid 1 per cent to a session low of $1,183.20. The dollar index gained, having made notable gains versus oil-related currencies, the Canadian dollar and Norwegian crown in the previous session.

“Gold sympathised with oil but I think there is a limit to the downward slide and we might hold $1,180 for now,’’ said a trader in Tokyo, adding that the market was also eyeing the Swiss vote on central bank reserves on Sunday.

Swiss vote on gold holdings

The vote is aimed at preventing the Swiss National Bank from offloading its gold holdings and obliging it to hold at least 20 per cent of its assets in gold, compared with 8 per cent last month.

The most-recent opinion poll showed support among Swiss voters for the initiative had slipped to 38 per cent. A surprise ‘yes’ vote, however, could prompt the Swiss central bank to buy about 1,500 tonnes of gold over the next few years, boosting bullion prices, analysts say.

“Most people in the market are already expecting a ‘no’ in the Swiss vote but it might still cause some sell-off. A ‘yes’ vote is unlikely but if it happens, we can see a jump in prices,’’ the Tokyo-based trader said.

Among other precious metals, silver futures slid 3 per cent. Platinum was down 1 per cent for the week on outflows from the metal-backed exchange-traded funds. Palladium was headed for a second weekly gain.

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