Precious metals futures moved lower Wednesday, with gold and silver extending their losses to three consecutive days.
Gold for December delivery lost $4.70, or 0.4%, to settle at $1,328 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Some more profit-taking pressure from recent gains was featured. Also, a solid bounce in the U.S. dollar index today pressured the precious metals markets," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a report.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,324.50 to a high of $1,340.50. They shed 0.2% in the previous session and declined 1.1% in their start to the trading week on Monday. On Friday, they ended at $1,351.20 an ounce for their highest settlement since Sept. 6, 2016.
Silver for December delivery dipped 2.3 cents, or 0.1%, to settle at $17.867 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $17.72 and $18.13. They declined less than 0.1% on Tuesday and slipped 1.2% on Monday. They closed on Friday at their strongest price since April 19.
In PGM futures on Wednesday:
-
October platinum fell $3.30, or 0.3%, to $983.20 an ounce, ranging from $979.50 to $994.00.
- Palladium for December delivery declined $9.70, or 1%, to $933.700 an ounce, trading between $931.80 and $950.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Tuesday PM to Wednesday PM:
- Gold added $1.05 or 0.08%, to 1,327.55 an ounce.
- Silver added 16 cents, or 0.9%, to $17.91 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2017
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged as of 3:51 p.m. ET. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. 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) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | Last Week | This Week | August | September | YTD | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 6,500 | 4,000 | 166,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 29,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 54,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 320,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,000 | 0 | 75,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 1,025,000 | 75,000 | 15,653,500 |
| 2017 Effigy Mounds 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35,000 |
| 2017 Frederick Douglass 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| 2017 Ozark Riverways 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| 2017 Ellis Island 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 500 | 0 | 39,500 | 500 | 40,000 |
let the dust settle ah bit.