Gold edged higher on Thursday, heading for its best year in a decade, as a weaker U.S. dollar outweighed pressure from a top Republican lawmaker's remark that a bill to increase U.S. pandemic aid checks was unlikely to get Senate approval soon.

In a blow to U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for an increase in coronavirus relief checks to $2,000, Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell refused a quick vote on the bill, saying it had "no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate." 

 Gold has risen more than 24% this year, its best since 2010, as unprecedented stimulus measures and low-interest rates to cushion economies from the pandemic's blow boosted the non-yielding metal's appeal as an inflation hedge and a safe haven.

 Bolstering the metal's appeal to other currency holders on Thursday, the dollar edged lower and hit its lowest since April 2018.  

A highly infectious coronavirus variant originating in Britain continued to spread globally, with California reporting its first known case.

British lawmakers approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson's post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union on Wednesday, as both sides looked to begin a new chapter of relations just days before their divorce becomes a reality.