Gold was little changed Wednesday after closing to a near two-week high in the previous session.
Gold for February delivery retreated 70.0 cents to settle at $1,683.20 an ounce on the Comex in New York. The precious metal traded between $1,673.00 and $1,684.70.
"Comex gold futures prices ended the U.S. day session slightly lower and up from the session low Wednesday. Technical chart consolidation was featured following recent price gains," noted Jim Wyckoff in the PM Kitco Metals Roundup. "The slightly firmer U.S. dollar index was a mild negative for the precious metals."
Gold’s settlement price on Tuesday was the highest since Jan. 2.
In other New York precious metals futures:
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March silver prices edged up 1.3 cents to $31.542 an ounce, ranging from $31.09 to $31.57. The settlement price is the highest for silver since Dec. 18.
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Platinum for April delivery added $4.20, or 0.3%, to $1,694.10 an ounce, trading between $1,657.10 and $1,700.00. On Tuesday, the precious metal surpassed the price of gold for the first time since April.
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March palladium surged $13.10, or 1.8%, to $726.45 an ounce, ranging from $705.65 to $727.90.
London Bullion Prices
Precious metals in London were mixed. In contrasting the latest London PM Fix prices:
- Gold fell $4.25, or 0.3%, to $1,676.25 an ounce,
- Silver prices gained 4.0 cents, or 0.1%, to $31.23 an ounce,
- Platinum declined $12.00, or 0.7%, to $1,678.00 an ounce, and
- Palladium added $5.00, or 0.7%, to $714.00 an ounce
Sales of US Mint Bullion Coins
Sales levels of U.S. Mint bullion coins were unchanged Wednesday as of 4:40 PM ET. The latest daily and year-to-date bullion coin sales follow.
| American Eagle and Buffalo Bullion Coin Sales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday Sales | Last Week | Week-To-Date Sales | 2013 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins | 0 | 27,500 | 13,000 | 93,500 |
| $25 American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins | 0 | 3,000 | 1,000 | 13,000 |
| $10 American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins | 0 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 18,000 |
| $5 American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins | 0 | 20,000 | 15,000 | 85,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo Gold Bullion Coins | 0 | 22,000 | 3,000 | 39,500 |
| American Eagle Silver Coin* | 0 | 4,782,000 | 350,000 | 5,132,000 |
| America the Beautiful 5 Oz. Silver Bullion Coin Sales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday Sales | Last Week | Week-To-Date Sales | All-Time Sales | |
| 2012 El Yunque National Forest 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21,900 |
| 2012 Chaco Culture National Historical Park 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| 2012 Acadia National Park 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25,400 |
| 2012 Hawai’i Volcanoes 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| 2012 Denali National Park 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| 2011 Olympic National Park 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins | 0 | 5,700 | 4,000 | 95,600 |
| 2011 Vicksburg National Military Park 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins | 0 | 1,700 | 0 | 41,200 |
| 2011 Chickasaw Park 5 oz. Silver Bullion Coins | 0 | 1,700 | 0 | 31,400 |
| TOTAL | 0 | 9,100 | 4,000 | 275,500 |
Coin sales figures shown above are in the number of coins sold. Calculate total ounces by using the bullion coin’s weight.
Waiting for the palladium eagle to come out…