GOLD futures have inched into positive territory as some investors repurchased previously sold positions to lock in profits on gold's five-day slide, while others bought gold at levels not seen in seven months. The most actively traded contract, for April delivery, on Thursday rose 60 US cents to settle at $US1,578.60 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold prices steadied as investors who bet on lower prices in recent days returned to the market as buyers in order to lock in their profits, said George Gero, a senior vice president with RBC Capital. One sign that gold's recent losses were prompted by bets on a decline, rather than the exit of bullish traders, was that the number of open gold futures has remained stable even as prices fell, Gero said. Gold futures fell 4.3 per cent over the past six trading days as some investors chased greater profits in equity markets, while others shed gold amid concerns that the Federal Reserve could end its easy money policies sooner than expected. Analysts at Standard Bank said that the Fed's discussion of ending its quantitative easing (QE) measures early had a "dampening effect" on investor appetite for gold. The money printing measures were widely viewed as inflationary, and helped drive investors toward inflation hedges like gold. Gold prices have also struggled amid a raft of stronger economic data, which has soothed long-running concerns about global growth and lured some fund managers away from haven assets. "In times of fear, people over-estimate the importance of gold in their portfolio," said Ron Florance, managing director of investment strategy at Wells Fargo Private Bank with $US169 billion ($A165.75 billion) in assets under management. "I think that the fear frenzy into gold is probably winding down," Florance added.