With optimism building, any big surprise to the upside would be bad for gold.
It fell around 1.3% to $1,336.01 after a report on US employment showed the country added more jobs than expected in February.
A drop in jobless claims showing the downtrend in US unemployment remains intact pushed gold as low as $1,307 before inflation figures and weak manufacturing data prompted a recovery.
The company said the move isn't an indication that the mine will close.
The yellow metal has climbed nearly 1.5% this week.
Despite the miner returned to profitability last year, it is now facing a strike at its processing plants.
Profile of a female delivery driver working in the Bakken oil fields
Gold jump up a mere 1% to $1,239 an ounce, building on earlier gains.
Agriculture, manufacturing and utilities are all expected to see declines.