Precious metals prices climbed together for a third straight session Thursday following the trading break on Wednesday for Christmas. Gold and silver gained the least but notched the longer settlement highs — more than eight weeks for gold and more than seven weeks for silver.
Gold for February delivery advanced $9.60, or 0.6%, to settle at $1,514.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The settlement was the highest since Oct. 31.
"Gold and silver are rising on apprehensions over US-China trade deal and Trump and his impeachment proceedings. Physical gold demand is still lagging gold investment demand," wrote Chintan Karnani, chief market analyst at Insignia Consultants, in a Thursday research note reported by MarketWatch.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,502.10 to a high of $1,517.40. They rose 1.1% on Tuesday and they moved ahead 0.5% on Monday.
Silver for March delivery added 13.7 cents, or 0.8%, to end at $17.99 an ounce. The settlement was the strongest since Nov. 4. Silver futures traded between $17.81 and $18.14. They jumped 2% on Tuesday and they rose 1.6% on Monday.
In other precious metals futures prices Thursday:
-
January platinum tacked on $10.70, or 1.1%, to $953.50 an ounce, ranging from $941.20 to $963.50.
- Palladium for March delivery advanced $16.80, or 0.9%, to $1,868.60 an ounce, trading between $1,848 and $1,871.20.
London Precious Metals Prices
London markets closed Thursday for holiday. The latest LBMA prices on Tuesday were:
- Gold at $1,482.10 an ounce.
- Silver at $17.585 an ounce.
US Mint 2019 Bullion Sales
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. Mint bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods. Products with an asterisk (*) are no longer available.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday / This Week | Last Week | November | December | 2019 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,500 | 8,000 | 2,000 | 108,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin* | 0 | 0 | 5,000 | 0 | 30,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 38,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 195,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,500 | 5,000 | 1,500 | 61,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 463,000 | 0 | 14,863,500 |
| Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 20,000 | 5,000 | 25,000 |
| San Antonio Missions 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55,200 |
| War in the Pacific 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72,500 |
| American Memorial Park 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80,000 |
| Lowell 5 Oz Silver Coin* | N/A | 80,000 | |||
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | N/A | 40,000 | |||
