Precious metals futures posted gains Thursday, led by a near 5% increase in palladium. Gold performed the weakest among the metals, rising 0.3%.
Gold for April delivery rose $5.40 to settle at $1,732.50 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold and silver prices are moderately up in choppy, two-sided U.S. trading Thursday, and are hanging on to the good gains posted Wednesday in the wake of a dovish U.S. central bank stance reiterated Wednesday afternoon. The ability of gold and silver to hold Wednesday’s gains and even add a bit to them is a positive sign for price action in the near term," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Inc, said in a daily research note.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,716.60 to a high of $1,754.20. They shed 0.2% on Wednesday, they edged up 0.1% on Tuesday, and they rose 0.6% on Monday.
Silver for May delivery tacked on 29.3 cents, or 1.1%, to end at $26.351 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $25.87 and $26.74. They moved up 0.2% on Wednesday, they declined 1.1% on Tuesday, and they surged 1.5% on Monday.
In other precious metals prices Thursday:
-
April platinum gained $18.20, or 1.5%, to $1,217.50 an ounce, ranging from $1,206.80 to $1,233.90.
- Palladium for June delivery jumped $124.50, or 4.9%, to $2,662.80 an ounce, trading between $2,575 and $2,749.
London Precious Metals Prices (LBMA)
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold fell $3.75, or 0.2%, to $1,725.90 an ounce.
- Silver added 28 cents, or 1.1%, at $26.13 an ounce.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2021
United States Mint bullion sales increased Thursday by 130,000 ounces in silver coins and a combined 6,500 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) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Last Week | This Week | January Sales | February Sales | March Sales | 2021 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 3,500 | 12,500 | 15,500 | 191,000 | 121,000 | 34,500 | 346,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22,000 | 9,000 | 0 | 31,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36,000 | 0 | 20,000 | 56,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 55,000 | 0 | 95,000 | 0 | 55,000 | 150,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 3,000 | 0 | 4,000 | 61,500 | 16,000 | 15,000 | 92,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 130,000 | 1,000,000 | 691,000 | 4,775,000 | 3,191,500 | 2,452,000 | 10,418,500 |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 4,500 | 0 | N/A | N/A | 35,000 | 35,000 |
| America Samoa 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Weir Farm 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Salt River Bay 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marsh Billings 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tallgrass Prairie 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
