Looking ahead, investors awaited the release U.S. payrolls data on Friday to see if the economy was creating jobs. The report is expected to show a rise in overall nonfarm payrolls of 60,000 in October, based on a Reuters poll of analysts.

COMEX December gold futures rose as high as $1,357.3 an ounce and was at 1,357 by 11:37 p.m. ET, up $19.4. Cash gold added $9.50 to $1,356.65 an ounce, having fallen to as low as $1,323.64 an ounce on Wednesday.

Not to be outdone, silver tracked gold higher to hit another 30-year high above $25 an ounce.

"The asset purchases were larger than expected by the market, hence this could send some fears of inflation in a longer term," said Ong Yi Ling, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore.

"Ahead, definitely it would be the non-farm payrolls that is coming out on Friday. If we actually see bad data, then I think that would prompt a rally in gold prices because the dollar will come under pressure."

Cash gold struck a record around $1,387 last month.

Spot gold may rise to $1,420 per ounce over the next four weeks as per a wave and a bullish triangle pattern, according to a Reuters market analyst Wang Tao. For a related graphic, see: here

A physical dealer in Hong Kong said: "I think $1,400 is still a major point to break and it seems the stock market is more attractive than gold for the time being. It has to break $1,385 and hold above before reaching $1,400."

"Then, we've got to see if the money will continue to flow into gold."

The Fed on Wednesday launched a fresh effort to support the U.S. economy, committing to buy $600 billion in government bonds, but critics fear the policy will lead to high inflation and worry that low interest rates risk fueling asset bubbles in other countries and destabilizing currencies.

The U.S. dollar was on the back foot on Thursday after the Fed move, hovering near its 2010 low against a basket of currencies and a 28-year trough against the Australian dollar.

The Nikkei rose 2.2 percent on a wave of short-covering as the Fed's monetary easing passed without causing ructions in the currency market and as investors took heart from solid U.S. economic data. .T

But an adviser to the Chinese central bank said in comments published on Thursday unbridled printing of dollars is the biggest risk to the global economy -- a day after the Federal Reserve unveiled a new round of monetary easing