Bullion remained hovering below $4,000 throughout the week, as demand for the US dollar was buoyed by positive US economic data.
At 9.30am, gold prices were at $3,998, up 0.54% since it opened in early trading on Friday in the Asian session.
Meanwhile, major European indices closed lower, reflecting market sentiment that began to weaken despite no clear catalyst.
Data from the United States (US) also added to the pressure when the Challenger Job Cut report showed that employers in the US announced 153,074 layoffs in October, much higher than 55,597 a year ago and 54,064 in September.
In addition, the fall was also contributed by concerns about the valuation of technology stocks that are considered too high.
The main driver of the market remains the ongoing US government shutdown, currently the longest in US history.
House Speaker Mike Johnson held a press conference and stated that he was less optimistic about ending the shutdown, triggering a new wave of risk-off.
Macroeconomic data also showed no significant impact, with the Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) report remaining pending for the second consecutive month.
