Precious metals futures moved higher in the mid-week trading session Wednesday as the U.S. dollar slipped. Gold’s gain was its first in three days.
Gold for August delivery rose $6.30, or 0.5%, to settle at $1,231.80 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"The dollar continuing to creep slightly lower has been helpful across the board in commodity demand," Reuters quoted David Meger director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures. "There’s no (other) driving course, but adequate bargain hunting into these dips we’ve been seeing."
Gold futures traded from a low of $1,223.20 to a high of $1,234.30. They dipped less than 0.1% on Tuesday and declined 0.5% on Monday.
Silver for September advanced 6.9 cents, or 0.4%, to close at $15.589 an ounce. Silver futures ranged from $15.47 to $15.66. They gained 0.6% on Tuesday and fell 0.8% on Monday.
In PGM futures on Wednesday:
-
October platinum added $4.10, or 0.5%, to $839.70 an ounce, trading between $835.20 and $845.80.
- Palladium for September delivery jumped $19.70, or 2.2%, to $928.30 an ounce, ranging from $907 to $931.60.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Tuesday PM to Wednesday PM:
- Gold rose $3.15, or 0.3%, to 1,231.50 an ounce.
- Silver gained 5.5 cents, or 0.4%, to $15.565 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2018
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged Wednesday. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. Mint bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | Last Week | This Week | June | July | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 11,000 | 1,500 | 21,500 | 25,000 | 112,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 18,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 50,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 20,000 | 5,000 | 15,000 | 25,000 | 150,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 7,500 | 0 | 6,500 | 18,500 | 72,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 180,000 | 240,000 | 435,000 | 785,000 | 7,607,500 |
| Pictured Rocks 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Apostle Islands 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Voyageurs 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 | 0 | 30,000 |
