Most precious metals retreated Thursday. Silver was the exception, barely, registering a fresh three and a half month high.
Gold for February delivery declined $2.60, or 0.2%, to settle at $1,247.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"The fact that we are seeing some risk coming back to the market: the stocks are climbing, the dollar is up and the yen is weaker, does remove some of the demand in gold. But overall, it’s holding relatively well but is missing a spark to move higher," Reuters quoted Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,244.40 to a high of $1,251.70. They rose 0.2% on Wednesday, declined 0.2% on Tuesday, and lost 0.3% on Monday.
Elsewhere, silver for March delivery edged up less than half a cent to $14.855 an ounce. The settlement was the highest since silver ended at $14.859 an ounce on Aug. 27. Silver futures traded between $14.76 and $14.90. They gained 1.5% on Wednesday, rose 0.2% on Tuesday, and slipped 0.6% on Monday.
In other precious metals futures prices Thursday:
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January platinum fell $9.60, or 1.2%, to $797.50 an ounce, ranging from $790.60 to $808.60.
- Palladium for March delivery shed $3.80, or 0.3%, to $1,190.70 an ounce, trading between $1,181.40 and $1,199. On Wednesday, the closed at a record of $1,194.50 an ounce.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold declined $2.55, or 0.2%, to 1,242.75 an ounce.
- Silver rose 2.5 cents, or 0.2%, to $14.68 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 limited to 500 ounces in American Buffalo gold coins. 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 | This Week | November | December | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 1,000 | 16,000 | 1,000 | 189,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 32,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 62,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 | 0 | 230,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 500 | 0 | 1,500 | 5,500 | 1,500 | 121,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 150,000 | 75,000 | 1,645,000 | 225,000 | 15,435,000 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Cumberland Island 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52,500 |
| Block Island 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80,000 | 0 | 80,000 |
