Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange went up on Thursday as U.S. dollar index kept fluctuating during the session.

The most active gold contract for August delivery rose 3.6 U.S. dollars, or 0.29 percent, to settle at 1,249.40 dollars per ounce.

Although the U.S. Dollar Index rebounded and posted an increase of 0.06 percent to 97.62 as of 1737 GMT, it had remained in the negative territory for most time in the morning.

The index is a measure of the dollar against a basket of other major currencies. When the dollar goes down, gold futures will rise.

However, the back-to-back rise of gold futures was dented by the rally of stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up 26.96 points, or 0.13 percent, to 21,436.99 as of 1748 GMT. Analysts note that when equities post gains, the gold futures usually goes down.

As for other precious metals, silver for July delivery rose 13.5 cents, or 0.82 percent, to close at 16.509 dollars per ounce. Platinum for July delivery fell 1.4 dollars, or 0.15 percent, to settle at 925.6 dollars per ounce.