Gold for February delivery was last down $17.20 at $609 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange after touching $608, the contract's lowest level since late October.

The contract has lost a total of almost $12 in the past two sessions, hurt by unexpected strength in the dollar, worry about an economic slowdown and recent weakness in energy futures.

On Friday, the dollar was higher against the euro, British pound and yen after the Labor Department said the economy added 167,000 jobs in December, while the jobless rate remained at 4.5%