Gold and silver prices Wednesday hovered near their previous day's closing prices as traders sorted through a mix of positive and negative economic news.

A widely followed monthly report on private-sector job creation showed the nation adding 91,000 jobs in August, less than the 100,000 a variety of organizations had estimated and not enough to cut the nation's 9.1 percent unemployment rate.

It was also the second month in a row that hiring by companies declined, according to the ADP report.

The labor market continues to struggle, Sean Incremona, a senior economist at 4Cast Inc. in New York, told Bloomberg before the report was released. There is too much uncertainty that is restraining firms from committing resources to hiring.

On the other hand, the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's Aug. 9 meeting showed a strong inclination to intervene with more bond buying to energize the languishing U.S. economy.

Silver for December delivery, the most actively traded contract on the CME Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, edged up to $41.78 per ounce from Tuesday's closing price of $41.46.

Gold added $4.50 to rise to $1,834.30.

Stocks appeared poised to increase once trading begins. The S&P 500 futures pointed higher, as did other stock futures.

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