Most precious metals declined Wednesday. Palladium was the exception, ending at yet another record for its third straight daily string of them. Gold, meanwhile, slipped from an almost 21-week high.
Gold for February delivery shed $4, or 0.3%, to settle at $1,242.60 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"With risk sentiment stabilizing, well kind of, the gold market is taking some profits," wrote Stephen Innes, a head of trading at Oanda, in a Wednesday research report according to MarketWatch. "Overall its time to hit the pause button until markets open until after the day of mourning," he said.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,238.70 to a high of $1,244.80. They gained 0.6% on Tuesday — marking their best close since July 12, and they rose 1.1% on Monday.
Silver for March delivery declined 5.8 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $14.582 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $14.49 and $14.62. They advanced 1% on Tuesday for their strongest finish since Nov. 5, and they jumped 2% on Monday.
In PGM futures on Wednesday:
-
January platinum dipped $2.20, or 0.3%, to $802 an ounce, ranging from $793.30 to $805.70.
- Palladium for March delivery rose $4.20, or 0.4%, to $1,184.40 an ounce — a new record. Palladium traded between $1,176.50 and $1,198.30.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Tuesday PM to Wednesday PM:
- Gold declined $4.40, or 0.4%, to 1,235.90 an ounce.
- Silver fell 6.5 cents, or 0.5%, to $14.48 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. 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 / December | November | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 11,000 | 0 | 16,000 | 188,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 4,000 | 32,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 62,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 5,000 | 0 | 20,000 | 230,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,500 | 0 | 5,500 | 120,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 375,000 | 150,000 | 1,645,000 | 15,360,000 |
| 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 |
| Cumberland Island 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52,500 |
| Block Island 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 80,000 | 0 | 80,000 | 80,000 |
