New Delhi, Feb. 11 -- Gold and silver prices held firm in Wednesday's trading session, despite an upbeat US jobs report that dampened expectations of swift Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Earlier in the day, the April futures contract on Comex surged $113 per troy ounce to hit an intraday high of $5,144. At current levels, prices are trading at $5,104.

The delayed January jobs report beat expectations, providing some optimism to investors that the economy remains on a firm footing.

In January, the United States added 130,000 jobs, the Department of Labor said, significantly higher than the 55,000 predicted in surveys by Dow Jones Newswires.

The latest figure also marked a sizable increase from December, which was downwardly revised to 48,0...