Gold rose in Wednesday trading, spurred by weak demand at an Italian bond auction and dip in the sale of previously-owned U.S. homes. The metal’s gain snapped three straight sessions of declines.

Gold futures for May delivery climbed 0.7% to $1,606.60 per ounce on Wednesday, according to CME Group. Gold traded as high as $1,608 and as low as $1,591.40. Gold bullion closed in London at $1,607, according to BullionVault.

Silver futures for May delivery slipped 0.2% to $28.61 per ounce. Wednesday’s high for silver was $28.79, while the low was $28.08.

Gold and silver funds mostly advanced in Wednesday trading.

• The SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE:GLD) rose 0.4%.
• The iShares Gold Trust (NYSE:IAU) gained 0.3%.
• The iShares Silver Trust (NYSE:SLV) edged down 0.1%.

Gold and silver mining ETFs improved during the day.

• The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:GDX) climbed 1.7%.
• The Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:GDXJ) increased 1.3%.
• The Global X Silver Miners ETF (NYSE:SIL) advanced 0.9%.

Gold mining shares mostly moved higher on Wednesday.

• Agnico-Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM) gained 1.1%.
• Barrick Gold (NYSE:ABX) rose 2%.
• Eldorado Gold (NYSE:EGO) advanced 2.6%.
• Goldcorp (NYSE:GG) climbed 2.5%.
• Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC) increased 1.3%.
• Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM) added 1.7%.
• NovaGold Resources (AMEX:NG) dropped 1.5%.
• Yamana Gold (NYSE:AUY) surged 2.2%.

Silver mining shares posted gains during the day.

• Coeur d’Alene Mines (NYSE:CDE) rose .03%.
• Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL) jumped 2%.
• Pan American Silver (NASDAQ:PAAS) surged 2.2%.
• Silver Wheaton (NYSE:SLW) climbed 1.4%.
• Silver Standard Resources (NASDAQ:SSRI) increased 1.2%.

As of this writing, Christopher Freeburn did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Adrian Ash of BullionVault contributed to this report.