Gold retreats but poised to end best month since February

Elsewhere, China's market regulator urged solar companies to resist "vicious" price competition in a price compliance guidance meeting on Friday, a statement showed. Silver is a key industrial metal used in solar photovoltaic panels.

Spot silver XAG= fell 2.7% to $57.40 per ounce. Platinum XPT= slid 1% to $1,643.17, and palladium XPD= dropped 2% to $1,278.25, although both metals were headed for a monthly gain.

Gold slid 2% on Friday as the U.S. dollar rebounded from a more than one-month low hit in the previous session, though the metal was still on track for its first monthly gain in five as weaker inflation data reduced expectations for further U.S. rate hikes.

Spot gold XAU= was down 1.4% at $4,044.87 per ounce at 12:18 p.m. EDT (1618 GMT), after falling 2% earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures GCcv1 for August delivery dropped 1.5% to $4,043.80.