In futures trading Monday, gold, silver and palladium gained while platinum declined. Silver performed the best among the winners, rallying 2.6%.
Gold for February delivery rose $15.40, or 0.8%, to settle at $1,850.80 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"The safe-haven metals are catching a bid to start the trading week as there are now more cross-currents in the marketplace than seen recently. Some perceived bargain hunting is also featured in gold and silver after their prices scored sharp declines last Friday," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a daily research note.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,817.10 to a high of $1,856. They traded 3.2% lower last week, ending Friday at their lowest price since Dec. 14.
Silver for March delivery tacked on 64.7 cents, or 2.6%, to settle at $25.284 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $24.36 and $25.60. They plummeted 6.7% last week, also ending Friday at their lowest level since Dec. 14.
In other precious metals futures prices on Monday:
-
April platinum fell $26.70, or 2.5%, to $1,044.60 an ounce, ranging from $1,011 to $1,077.70.
- Palladium for March delivery gained $13.80, or 0.6%, to $2,378.80 an ounce, trading between $2,344.50 and $2,405.
Last week platinum lost 0.7% and palladium declined 3.6%.
London Precious Metals Prices (LBMA)
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Friday PM to Monday PM:
- Gold lost $15.65, or 0.8%, to $1,847.25 an ounce.
- Silver dropped $1.62, or 6.1%, to $25.02 an ounce.
In LBMA results last week, prices declined 1% for gold, 2.7% for silver, 5.3% for platinum and 1.8% for palladium.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2021
United States Mint bullion sales increased Monday by 1,846,000 ounces in silver coins and by a combined 23,500 ounces in gold coins.
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) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Last Week | December | 2020 Sales | 2021 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 12,500 | 43,500 | 48,500 | 747,500 | 56,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 17,000 | 2,000 | 70,000 | 17,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 6,000 | 22,000 | 0 | 106,000 | 28,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 35,000 | 60,000 | 0 | 350,000 | 95,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 6,000 | 20,500 | 10,500 | 242,000 | 26,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 1,846,000 | 2,800,000 | 751,000 | 30,089,500 | 4,646,000 |
| America Samoa 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 | 0 |
| Weir Farm 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 | 0 |
| Salt River Bay 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 | 0 |
| Marsh Billings 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 | 0 |
| Tallgrass Prairie 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 | 0 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56,500 | 0 |
