India, Nov. 7 -- Dhanteras gold sales are running on two tracks this year. Showrooms in Hyderabad report thinner footfall and smaller purchases, while jewellers nationally expect volumes to rise 15-20 per cent over last year. Jewellery managers said footfall had fallen short of last year's, with budgets stretched by rates still higher than a year ago. Both readings come against a day of falling prices, with bullion futures slipping on the Multi Commodity Exchange.

Gold futures on the MCX dropped Rs.2,451 to Rs.1,41,644 per 10 grams, a 1.70 per cent fall, while silver futures lost Rs.3,782 to Rs.1,83,358 a kilogram, down 2.02 per cent. The correction was tied to shifts in industrial demand and the geopolitical landscape. Retail rates in H...