CHICAGO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose on Thursday on geopolitical risks.

       The most active gold contract for June delivery rose 14.7 U.S. dollars, or 0.76 percent, to close at 1,937.8 dollars per ounce.

       Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, inducing new round of sanctions from the United States and the European Union.

       Investors are further digesting the Federal Open Market Committee's meeting minutes released on Wednesday. The minutes indicated that many Federal Reserve officials believe a 50-basis-point rate hike is warranted, and a 95-billion-dollar reduction of balance sheet per month may be enacted soon.

       U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday that U.S. initial jobless claims in the week ending April 2 fell to 166,000, compared with a revised 171,000 in the prior week. The weekly total was the lowest since November 1968, when the labor force was less than half of its current size, capping gold's growth somewhat

       Silver for May delivery rose 27.7 cents, or 1.13 percent, to close at 24.735 dollars per ounce. Platinum for July delivery rose 4.9 dollars, or 0.51 percent, to close at 958 dollars per ounce.