Precious metals dropped across the board on Thursday. Gold’s loss was its first in five sessions and follows a nearly 7-month settlement high.
Gold for February delivery shed $18.40, or 1%, to settle at $1,840.60 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold prices have retraced from their recent highs for two reasons. Firstly, it is the strength of the dollar index which is pushing the price of the shining metal lower. Secondly, after the massive run in prices, it is absolutely normal for traders to book some profit off the table," MarketWatch quoted Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at AvaTrade.
Gold futures traded between $1,829.90 and $1,864.30. They rose 0.7% on Wednesday, scoring their highest settlement since June 10, and they tacked on 1.1% in the start to the new trading week and year on Tuesday.
Silver for March delivery dropped 54 cents, or 2.3%, to close at $23.424 an ounce. Silver futures ranged from $23.26 to $24.06. They fell 1.1% on Wednesday and they gained 0.8% on Tuesday.
In other precious metals prices on Thursday:
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April platinum lost $22.70, or 2.1%, to $1,069.60 an ounce, trading between $1,066.10 and $1,099.70.
- Palladium for March delivery declined $64, or 3.6%, to $1,732.70 an ounce, ranging from $1,721 to $1,838.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2023
Published United States Mint bullion sales last changed on Dec. 29. 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) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | September | October | November | December | 2022 Sales | 2023 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 47,500 | 47,500 | 59,500 | 6,000 | 4,000 | 850,000 | 0 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 2,000 | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 75,000 | 0 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 4,000 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 140,000 | 0 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 20,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 0 | 0 | 575,000 | 0 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 22,500 | 44,500 | 39,500 | 4,500 | 0 | 410,000 | 0 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 850,000 | 833,000 | 1,258,000 | 1,407,000 | 59,000 | 15,963,500 | 0 |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 1,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80,000 | 0 |
