In precious metals prices on Wednesday, following a break on Tuesday — U.S. markets were closed Tuesday for the Independence Day holiday — gold eased slightly lower, while silver, platinum, and palladium gained.
Gold for August delivery declined by $2.40, or 0.1%, to settle at $1,927.10 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold prices are near steady up and silver solidly higher in midday U.S. trading Wednesday. Short covering from the futures traders was featured, especially in silver, ahead of the afternoon FOMC minutes from the Federal Reserve," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Inc, said in a daily research note.
Gold futures traded between $1,925.40 and $1,942.90. They edged 0.01% higher on Monday.
Meanwhile, silver for September tacked on 29 cents, or 1.3%, to close at $23.402 an ounce. Silver futures ranged from $22.97 and $23.54. On Monday, they increased by 0.4%.
In PGM futures on Wednesday:
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October platinum added $9, or 1%, to $925 an ounce, trading between $915.10 and $935.50.
- Palladium for September delivery jumped by $30.90, or 2.5%, to $1,257.90 an ounce, ranging from $1,223 to $1,263.50. On Friday, they settled at their lowest price since Jan. 3, 2019.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2023
The U.S. Mint last reported bullion sales increases on Monday, June 26. The table below presents a breakdown of U.S. Mint bullion products sold, with columns indicating the number of coins sold (not total ounces) during different time periods.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday / Week / July | Last Week | March | April | May | June | 2023 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 13,500 | 211,000 | 159,500 | 60,500 | 29,500 | 620,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 1,000 | 8,000 | 18,000 | 1,000 | 73,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 10,000 | 12,000 | 32,000 | 4,000 | 132,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 45,000 | 10,000 | 35,000 | 80,000 | 60,000 | 385,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 7,000 | 73,000 | 61,000 | 47,000 | 14,000 | 273,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 530,000 | 900,000 | 900,000 | 1,593,000 | 1,25,500 | 9,497,000 |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 7,500 | 500 | 1,200 | 3,500 | 12,700 |
