Gold slides Monday

Gold for December delivery gave up $21 Monday on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange as equities turned investors\' heads. Gold closed at $1,738.70 per troy ounce and silver lost 89 cents to $32.77. With the exception of the Dow Jones industrial average scratching out marginal gains Friday, equities reversed a five-day stock market skid in New York. The dollar was not a clear influence, as the dollar index, a pro-rated measure of its performance against six major currencies, was flat, rising 0.03 percent to 79.70 on the International Exchange. The euro rose to $1.2955 from Friday\'s $1.2953. The British pound held even at $1.6072. The Canadian dollar was also steady at 97.97 cents, while the Australian dollar rose to $1.0256 from $1.0232. The U.S. dollar fell to 7.7508 Hong Kong dollars from 7.7515. Against the yen, the dollar rose to 78.70 yen from 78.44.