Most precious metals futures advanced Thursday. Gold futures climbed for a second straight session but silver finished down toward a more than two-and-a-half year low.
Gold for December delivery added $3, or 0.3%, to settle at $1,204.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"I don’t expect a sharp move from either gold or the dollar. I think we’ll be stuck here for a little while, barring any major event," Reuters quoted Chris Gaffney, president of world markets at TIAA Bank.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,200.50 to a high of $1,212.70. They rose 0.2% on Wednesday and fell 0.6% on Tuesday — ending at their lowest point since Aug. 23.
Elsewhere, silver for December delivery climbed 3.9 cents, or nearly 0.3%, to finish at $14.181 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $14.13 and $14.34. They gained 0.3% on Wednesday and dropped 2.6% on Tuesday — marking their lowest settlement since Jan. 22, 2016.
In other precious metals futures prices on Thursday:
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October platinum tacked on $6.60, or 0.8%, to $790.90 an ounce, ranging from $781 to $796.30.
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Palladium for December delivery edged up 90 cents, or less than 0.1%, to $962.10 an ounce, trading between $959 and $974.70.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold rose $8.45, or 0.7%, to 1,205.15 an ounce.
- Silver added 9.5 cents, or 0.7%, to $14.265 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
American Silver Eagles were alone with bullion gains Thursday, U.S. Mint figures show. The silver coins jumped 637,500, resulting in the Mint temporarily running out of them.
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) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Last Week | July | Week / September | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 4,000 | 31,500 | 3,500 | 140,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 23,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 56,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 5,000 | 25,000 | 20,000 | 180,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 24,500 | 0 | 98,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 637,500 | 350,000 | 885,000 | 1,037,500 | 10,275,000 |
| Pictured Rocks 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Apostle Islands 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Voyageurs 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
