Gold futures closed lower Thursday on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold for February delivery dropped $21.80 or 1.3 percent to $1,645.90 an ounce. Silver for March delivery shed $1.44 or 4.6 percent to $29.68 an ounce, the lowest price since August. The euro was trading at $1.3237 from Wednesday\'s $1.3244. The dollar rose to 84.44 against the Japanese yen, up from Wednesday\'s 84.39 yen. The Australian dollar was unchanged at $1.0482. The British pound fell to $1.6276 from Wednesday\'s $1.6280.