In agricultural markets, corn and soybeans rose while soybeans ended mixed. Arabica coffee rose but cocoa fell a day after seeing one-month highs. Raw sugar fell on speculative selling.
Orange juice futures firmed on modest buying. Cotton settled mixed after two days of gains.
The Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index, a broad indicator of commodity prices, settled 0.19 percent higher at 312.37. The Goldman Sachs Commodity Index climbed 0.14 percent to 5,907.16.
December gold at the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange settled up $1.20 at $601 an ounce in a bullish but uncertain market.
"While there was a positive aspect about the oil price and the U.S. dollar, which lent support to the gold market, some of the trading really had a bit of a strained feel about it and almost gave the impression that some players were trying to force the market above $600 and it didn't feel like going," said Bernard Hunter, director of precious metals at Toronto's Scotia Mocatta.
The U.S. government said gross domestic product grew at a slower 1.6 percent annual rate during the third quarter than the 2.2 percent economists had expected and the 2.6 percent of the prior quarter.
The GDP number -- the weakest in three years -- was followed by a bigger than expected rise in the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index, putting a lid on a Treasury bond rally.
Investors then took profits in the stock market, freeing up money for precious metals, which have enjoyed improving sentiment and rotation out of other markets this week.
The dollar fell with stocks, hurt by both the GDP data and assumption that the Federal Reserve might lean toward easing interest rates in 2007. That, and oil prices holding firm above $60 a barrel, gave gold bulls an excuse to buy the dip.
