Precious metals ended higher Wednesday, logging mostly modest gains. Gold’s session increase marked a third straight.
Gold for August delivery tacked on $9, or 0.8%, to close at $1,186.60 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The settlement price was the highest since June 2.
"Uncertainty around Greece and a softer dollar are definitely helping today … there is good support in the $1,180 area right now," Reuters quoted Bernard Sin, MKS SA senior vice president.
Gold prices traded from a low of $1,174.30 to a high of $1,191.80. They climbed in the prior session by $4 or 0.3%.
Snapping a five-session losing streak, but barely, silver for July delivery slipped less than a half cent to close at $15.96 an ounce. Silver prices ranged from $15.90 to $16.19. They moved exactly opposite on Tuesday, falling less than a half cent.
In other precious metals futures on Wednesday:
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July platinum gained $6.70, or 0.6%, to $1,115.20 an ounce, trading between $1,105.80 and $1,119.60.
- Palladium for September delivery rose $3.60, or 0.5%, to $743.50 an ounce, ranging from $738.75 to $748.60.
London Precious Metals Prices
Earlier fixed London precious metals prices mostly climbed. In comparing London bullion prices from Tuesday PM to Wednesday PM:
- Gold gained $11.10, or 0.9%, to $1,188.50 an ounce,
- Silver was unchanged at $16.13 an ounce,
- Platinum rose $8, or 0.7%, $1,117 an ounce, and
- Palladium added $3, or 0.4%, to $749 an ounce.
US Mint Bullion Coin Sales in June
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged Wednesday following strong gains in the prior two sessions. Below is a listing of U.S. Mint bullion products that shows the number of coins sold during varying periods. Products with an asterisk (*) are no longer available.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday Sales | Last Week | Current Week | May Sales | June Sales | YTD Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 10,500 | 9,500 | 13,500 | 20,000 | 156,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,000 | 0 | 32,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 10,000 | 2,000 | 60,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 40,000 | 35,000 | 340,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 9,500 | 6,000 | 81,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coins | 0 | 975,000 | 650,000 | 2,023,500 | 1,625,000 | 18,571,000 |
| 2015 Homestead 5 Oz Silver Coins* | – | 35,000 | ||||
| 2015 Kisatchie 5 Oz Silver Coins* | – | 12,000 | – | 42,000 | ||
