SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures finished lower for a third session in a row on Friday, with strength in the dollar and a climb in U.S. equities drawing attention away from the precious metal. April gold gcj3 settled at $1,572.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, down $5.80, or 0.4%. Prices were marginally lower than a week ago, when they closed at $1,572.80. They settled at the lowest since mid-July. "The surging U.S. dollar is an issue, and persistently higher demand for equities are some of the pressure points on gold," said Richard Hastings, macro strategist at Global Hunter Securities. "Even if the $1,550 level holds, we could still see some more sideways action for a while until the next major catalyst comes along."