European gold traded mixed. In London gold rose to $513 per troy ounce, up from $512.50. In Zurich the precious metal declined to $512.85 from $517.03. In Hong Kong gold fell $2.50 to close at $514.40. Silver traded unchanged at $8.59. In New York gold closed up $1.40 to $518.90 and silver closed up 8 cents to $8.89.

The U.S. dollar gained against the euro, fell against other major currencies. The euro was quoted at $1.1829, down from $1.1840. The dollar bought 117.43 yen, down from 117.72. The British pound traded at $1.7235, up from $1.7225.

EARNINGS NEWS

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co (SMG: chart), maker of lawn and garden products, forecast a widening loss for Q1 on a continued shift in the timing of retailer purchases. The company anticipates its loss for the period to be 15% to 20% greater than its loss of 75 cents a share in the year-ago period, missing analyst estimate of a loss of 75 cents a share. The increased loss in Q1 is the result of a continued trend by the company’s retail partners to take delivery of our products closer to the time they are purchased by consumers.

Learning Tree International Inc. (LTRE: chart), IT educational services provider, forecast Q4 revenue of $36.5 million, down 2% from the year-ago period. The company is to report a quarterly loss from operations of $400,000 to $600,000. Learning Tree announced its fiscal year results were reduced by one-time lease expenses of $800,000 related to the subleasing of space in its U.K. Education Center, and by $1.7 million of external costs related to Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.