Precious metals divided Tuesday with prices for silver and palladium falling and those for gold and platinum rising.
Gold for February delivery rose $2.50, or 0.1%, to settle at $1,882.90 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"We are entering 2021 with some nervousness as we got stock markets at elevated levels and (on) prospects of additional stimulus against the prospect of vaccine starting to improve the economic outlook… but overall it hasn’t reduced the appetite for safe-haven metals," Reuters quoted Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,875.60 to a high of $1,891.30. They shed 0.2% on Monday.
Silver for March delivery fell 32.2 cents, or 1.2%, to settle at $26.217 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $26.07 and $26.77. They surged 2.4% on Monday, posting their best finish since Sept. 18.
In other precious metals futures prices Tuesday:
-
April platinum — the new, most-active contract — gained $13.50, or 1.3%, to $1,062.60 an ounce, ranging from $1,043.50 to $1,073.40.
- Palladium for March delivery fell $7.50, or 0.3%, to $2,344.30 an ounce, trading between $2,323 and $2,375.
London Precious Metals Prices (LBMA)
Until Tuesday, UK markets had been closed since Thursday. In comparing the latest London gold and silver prices from Thursday to Tuesday PM:
- Gold rose $1.75, or 0.09%, to $1,874.30 an ounce.
- Silver added 37 cents, or 1.4%, to $26.15 an ounce.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2020
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged Tuesday. 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) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Last Week | October | November | December | 2020 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 4,000 | 64,500 | 77,000 | 48,500 | 747,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 6,000 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 70,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 8,000 | 10,000 | 0 | 106,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 0 | 350,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 19,500 | 23,500 | 10,500 | 242,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 3,397,000 | 4,805,000 | 751,000 | 30,089,500 |
| America Samoa 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Weir Farm 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Salt River Bay 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Marsh Billings 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Tallgrass Prairie 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56,500 |
