U.S. gold sets record high on crude oil, dollar

NEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) - U.S. gold futures jumped nearly 1 percent to scale a record high on Thursday, nearing the historic $1,000 an ounce level due to sharply higher crude oil prices and a weakening dollar.

At 11:02 a.m. EST (1602 GMT), the active gold contract for April delivery GCJ8 was up $7.50 to $968.50. Just minutes earlier, it had reached a record peak of $969.30. (Reporting by Frank Tang)