Gold settles below $1,300 an ounce
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures extended losses Thursday to fall below $1,300 for the first time in a month as strong corporate earnings made stocks more attractive in comparison. August gold (CNS:GCQ4) dropped $13.90, or 1.1%, to settle at $1,290.80 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The S&P 500 index is moderately higher, climbing for a third day.