Investing.com - This week precious metals traders will continue to watch developments in equity markets and monitor geopolitical risks after gold prices notched up a third week of gains.

Investors will also be focusing on Friday’s data on U.S. third quarter growth, while monetary policy decisions from the European Central Bank and Bank of Canada will also be closely watched.

The GDP data is expected to show that U.S. economic growth slowed in the third quarter from the second, when the economy grew at its fastest pace in four years.

Investors will also be getting an update on the health of the U.S. housing market, which has been hit by rising borrowing costs as a result of Fed rate hikes, with the release of figures on new and pending home sales.

Data on Friday showed that sales of existing homes fell for a sixth straight month in September, in what was the largest decline in more than two years.

Gold prices ended little changed on Friday after a choppy trading session, but still ended the week with a gain of 0.59%, its third straight weekly increase.

December gold futures settled at $1,230.00 on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The dollar was broadly lower on Friday with the U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a basket of six major currencies, down 0.36% to 95.38 in late trade.

The index has still risen 0.68% so far this month and has advanced around 4% for the year to date, boosted by Federal Reserve rate hikes, with another expected before the years end.

Interest rate increases and higher U.S. bond yields are usually bearish for gold, which offers no yield. They also tend to boost the dollar, in which gold is priced.

Gold prices have been boosted by weaker stock markets and heightened geopolitical risks, which underpinned safe haven demand for bullion.

Recent stock market volatility has been triggered by a combination of concerns over the impact of rising bond yields and fears that trade conflicts are starting to have a serious impact on the global economy.

Elsewhere in precious metals trading, silver settled up 0.31% at $14.650 a troy ounce, to end the week up 0.1%. Platinum settled at $833.90, 0.26% higher for the day, trimming the week’s losses to 0.94%.

Among base metals, copper ended at $2.782, up 1.29% for the day, for a weekly loss of 0.9%.

Ahead of the coming week, Investing.com has compiled a list of significant events likely to affect the markets.

Monday, October 22

Canada is to release data on wholesale sales.

Tuesday, October 23

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney is to speak at an event in Toronto.