CHICAGO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange settled lower on Thursday as U.S. dollar and equities rallied.

The most active gold contract for April delivery fell 7.80 dollars, or 0.59 percent, to settle at 1317.80 dollars per ounce.

The U.S. dollar index, a gauge of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, rose 0.33 percent to 90.08 as of 1640 GMT.

Meanwhile, Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounded after a sharp fall in the previous session. It added 209.86 points, or 0.85 percent to 24,967.98 as of 1650 GMT.

Gold usually move in opposite directions with the dollar and equities. If the dollar and stocks rise, gold futures will fall as the precious metal, priced in U.S. dollar, becomes costlier to investors using other currencies, who will probably be lured to stock market.

Still, investors are following geopolitical tensions closely, as London has vowed to expel some Russian diplomats over the death of a former Russian agent in Britain.

As for other precious metals, silver for May delivery fell 11.5 cents, or 0.70 percent, to settle at 16.422 dollars per ounce. Platinum for April went down 4.60 dollars, or 0.48 percent, to close at 956.90 dollars per ounce. Enditem