CHICAGO, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose on Wednesday as Russia-Ukraine conflict enters the fourth week.

       The most active gold contract for April delivery rose 15.8 U.S. dollars, or 0.82 percent, to close at 1,937.3 dollars per ounce.

       Gold found additional support as the U.S. Department of Commerce reported on Wednesday that U.S. new home sales dropped 2 percent month on month to 772,000 in February. This is also lower than 805,000 expected by economists.

       Nevertheless, the U.S. Federal Reserve has mapped out a series of planned interest rate rises throughout the year, posing headwinds for gold.

       Silver for May delivery rose 28.5 cents, or 1.14 percent, to close at 25.189 dollars per ounce. Platinum for April delivery fell 4.1 dollars, or 0.4 percent, to close at 1,021 dollars per ounce.