In futures trading Wednesday, palladium declined while gold, silver and platinum gained for a second day in a row following several straight session losses.
Gold for December delivery tacked on $21.60, or 1.3%, to settle at $1,753.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"The precious metals bulls have stabilized their markets at mid-week, following recent selling pressure," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Inc, said in a daily research note.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,724.30 to a high of $1,754.40. They rose 0.3% on Tuesday and they fell 2.1% on Monday, finishing at their lowest level since March 31.
In closely watched data Wednesday, the Labor Department reported that consumer prices climbed 0.5% in July from 0.9% in June. In addition, and for a second straight month, annual inflation increased 5.4% for the quickest pace since August 2008.
Elsewhere, silver for September delivery added 9.6 cents, or 0.4%, to close at $23.488 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $23.19 and $23.56. They gained 0.5% on Tuesday and they tumbled 4.4% on Monday.
In PGM futures on Wednesday:
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October platinum advanced $28.60, or 2.9%, to $1,015.60 an ounce, ranging from $990 to $1,018.30.
- Palladium for September delivery declined $17.20, or 0.7%, to $2,632.80 an ounce, trading between $2,610 and $2,660.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2021
Published United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged Wednesday. 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) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday / This Week | Last Week | June | July | August | 2021 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 15,500 | 158,000 | 49,500 | 15,500 | 649,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 15,000 | 10,000 | 0 | 56,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 30,000 | 0 | 0 | 86,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 15,000 | 90,000 | 40,000 | 15,000 | 295,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 3,000 | 27,500 | 14,500 | 3,000 | 211,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 612,500 | 2,800,000 | 3,104,000 | 612,500 | 19,623,000 |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75,000 |
| Tuskegee Airmen 5 oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52,900 |
