Gold rises after weekly drop as equities, dollar retreat

By Jan Harvey LONDON (Reuters) - Gold prices rose on Monday as stock markets eased after soft Chinese data, boosting interest in the metal as an alternative asset, and as the dollar weakened against the euro. Gold edged back above $1,280 an ounce after posting its biggest weekly loss since mid-March last week, with some investors disappointed by its inability to sustain a push to 15-month highs above $1,300 an ounce earlier this month. Stock market losses and a retreat in the dollar, in which go