Mixed US housing data impacts gold prices and construction trends.
Gold prices edged down after the release of mixed US housing data, which showed a rise in housing starts but a decline in building permits. Housing starts rose 2.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.401 million units last month, while building permits were down 1.5% at 1.416 million units in April. June Comex gold futures last traded at $1,986.60, down 0.32% on the day.