Precious metals advanced on Thursday, buoyed by safe-haven demand. Gold extended its winning streak to seven sessions, silver to six and platinum and palladium to two.
Gold for April delivery tacked on $7.80, or 0.7%, to $1,204.80 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The settlement price is the highest since Feb. 27 when gold ended at $1,213.10 an ounce.
"Between geopolitical fears and an exhausted U.S. dollar, gold is catching a nice little panic room bid as traders fled to safety yesterday, overnight, and into today," MarketWatch quoted Adam Koos, president of Libertas Wealth Management Group.
Gold prices ranged from a low of $1,193.80 to a high of $1,219.50. They have advanced $56.60, or 4.9%, since last ending down on March 17.
Silver for May delivery gained 14 cents, or 0.8%, to close at $17.14 an ounce. Silver prices traded from $16.91 to $17.41. They have surged $1.60, or 10.3%, since last closing lower on March 18.
In PGM futures on Thursday:
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April platinum rose $7.50, or 0.7%, to $1,154 an ounce, ranging from $1,141.20 to $1,163.90.
- Palladium for June delivery settled up $7.95, or 1%, to $773.35 an ounce, trading between $762.15 and $779.30.
London Precious Metals Prices
Earlier fixed London precious metals advanced as well. In comparing London bullion prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold gained $8.15, or 0.7%, to $1,203.15 an ounce,
- Silver jumped 19 cents, or 1.1%, to $17.13 an ounce,
- Platinum added $8, or 0.7%, to $1,154 an ounce, and
- Palladium rose $11, or 1.4%, to $776 an ounce.
US Mint Bullion Coin Sales in March
United States Mint sales advanced Thursday for one-tenth ounce American Gold Eagles, up 10,000. This listing of U.S. Mint bullion products show the number of coins sold during varying periods.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday Sales | Last Week | Current Week | February Sales | March Sales | YTD Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 9,000 | 3,500 | 12,500 | 29,000 | 93,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 24,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 0 | 8,000 | 44,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coins | 10,000 | 15,000 | 10,000 | 50,000 | 65,000 | 230,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 4,500 | 500 | 12,000 | 8,500 | 55,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coins | 0 | 637,000 | 787,000 | 3,022,000 | 2,855,000 | 11,407,000 |
| 2015 Homestead 5 Oz Silver Coins | 0 | 0 | 5,300 | 20,000 | 13,300 | 33,300 |
