Gold futures declined for the third straight day Wednesday as gains in the U.S. economy bolstered the case for higher interest rates. Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), the world’s biggest exchange traded fund backed by the metal, tumbled 1.6% Tuesday to 712.9 metric tons, the biggest drop since June 2013. That marked the lowest since September 2008. Futures fell 8.4% in the third quarter as the U.S.