CHICAGO, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar and U.S. Treasury yields rise.

The most active gold contract for December delivery fell 8.80 U.S. dollars, or 0.44 percent, to close at 1,992.80 dollars per ounce.

Minutes of the Federal Reserve November monetary policy meeting, which were released on Tuesday, showed Fed officials agreed that they would proceed "carefully" and only raise interest rates if progress in controlling inflation faltered.

The U.S. Labor Department reported Wednesday that U.S. initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 209,000 for the week ending Nov. 18. Economists had forecast 226,000 claims for the latest week.

The Consumer Sentiment Index released Wednesday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers fell to 61.3 in the November 2023 survey, down from 63.8 in October and above last November's 56.7.

The U.S. Commerce Department reported that U.S. durable goods orders fell 5.4 percent on month in October on a seasonally adjusted basis to 279.4 billion dollars.

Silver for December delivery fell 18.10 cents, or 0.76 percent, to close at 23.688 dollars per ounce. Platinum for January delivery fell 15.20 dollars, or 1.61 percent, to close at 930.70 dollars per ounce.