Gold finishes at 3-month peak

Gold prices ended in the green today, Oct. 26, as investors continued to flock to safe-haven assets amid the escalating Middle East tensions, despite data from the world's largest economies that allayed recession fears.

During the third quarter of this year, the US economy grew at a 4.9% clip on an annual basis — the fastest pace in nearly two years. Further, jobless claim applications rose by 10,000 to 210,000 for the week ended Oct. 21, the Labor Department reported earlier today.

Elsewhere, the European Central Bank (ECB), which was widely expected to maintain a status quo, decided to keep interest rates unchanged at 4.5%, concluding an unprecedented series of 10 consecutive rate hikes.

In terms of trading, bullion for December delivery climbed by 0.15%, or $2.50, to finish at $1,997.40 per ounce, after touching $2,003.70 in early trading, bringing total contracts to the highest level since July at the end of the session.

Similarly, the US dollar index, which measures the performance of the US currency against a basket of six major currencies, grew 0.20% to 106.74 points at 08:32 pm Makkah time.