Gold Soared 9 Dollars

Gold futures rose Friday to close the week more than $9 higher, with prices supported by rising crude oil prices.

Gold for December delivery closed at $630.80 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up $2.30 for the session and up 1.5% for the week -- despite losing around 1% in the past three trading days.

On Thursday, the contract closed lower for a third-consecutive session, after weak data on home sales and durable goods orders eased inflation fears and with it, gold's attraction as an inflation hedge.