Gold and silver kicked of the new trading month and quarter with gains, while platinum and palladium logged losses.
Gold for December delivery tacked on $20.80, or 1.1%, to settle at $1,916.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The finish was gold’s highest since Sept. 18.
"The odds are stacked in favor of higher gold price in the coming days, especially because the U.S. elections are just around the corner, and investors want to protect themselves from this major risk event," MarketWatch quoted said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at AvaTrade.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,890 to a high of $1,917.90. On Wednesday, gold marked a 4.2% decline for September but scored a 5.3% increase for the third quarter — its eighth straight quarterly gain.
Silver for December delivery rebounded 76 cents, or 3.2%, to $24.254, following a 3.9% loss in the prior session. Silver futures traded between $23.32 and $24.32. On Wednesday, silver registered a 17.8% drop in September but still logged a 26.1% gain for the third quarter.
In other precious metals prices Thursday:
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January platinum slipped $3.20, or 0.4%, to $906 an ounce, ranging between $895.10 and $919.10.
- Palladium for December delivery dipped $2.30, or 0.1%, to $2,328.20 an ounce, trading between $2,312.50 and $2,351.
London Precious Metals Prices (LBMA)
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold gained $15.10, or 0.8%, to $1,902 an ounce.
- Silver declined 10.5 cents, or 0.4%, to $23.62 an ounce.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2020
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged Thursday. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. Mint 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) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday / Oct | Last Week | This Week | July | August | September | 2020 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 9,500 | 0 | 107,500 | 104,000 | 18,500 | 557,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,000 | 0 | 4,000 | 10,000 | 3,000 | 58,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 4,000 | 88,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35,000 | 70,000 | 10,000 | 290,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 3,000 | 0 | 30,000 | 28,000 | 4,500 | 188,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 517,000 | 1,070,500 | 1,084,500 | 4,477,000 | 2,958,500 | 21,136,500 |
| America Samoa 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Weir Farm 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Salt River Bay 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Marsh Billings 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Tallgrass Prairie 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 45,000 | 0 | N/A | N/A | 45,000 | 45,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56,500 |
