A weaker greenback has made precious metals like gold, platinum and palladium cheaper for most buyers. Photo by Alfexe/Getty Images/iStockphoto/Postmedia files

Gold climbed to a record above US$3,800 an ounce as precious metals surged, boosted by a weaker dollar as investors weighed a potential United States government shutdown .

Bullion rose as much as two per cent to an all-time high of US$3,833.59 an ounce — eclipsing a peak reached last Tuesday — after notching six straight weekly gains. Silver increased as much as 2.4 per cent, while platinum and palladium also rallied strongly , with advances underpinned by persistent market tightness and inflows into exchange-traded funds backed by the metals.

The dollar fell as investors awaited developments ahead of a planned meet

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