Precious metals futures were divided Thursday, Feb. 15, with gold and silver lower and platinum and palladium higher
Precious metals futures ended mixed Thursday. Gold finished lower for the first time in four sessions, slipping from a three-week high.
Gold for April delivery shed $2.70, or 0.2%, to settle at $1,355.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold prices were ending the U.S. day session modestly lower Thursday, on a minor downside correction from the strong gains seen Wednesday," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a report. "Still, the gold bulls this week have gained technical power to suggest more upside price action is likely in the near term."
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,350.80 to a high of $1,359.80. They surged 2.1% on Wednesday — ending at their best price since Jan. 25, climbed 0.3% on Tuesday, and gained 0.8% on Monday.
Silver for March delivery declined 8.2 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $16.796 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $16.60 and $16.95. They jumped 2.1% in the previous session, shed 0.3% on Tuesday and rallied 2.7% on Monday.
In other precious metals futures Thursday:
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April platinum added $2, or 0.2%, to $1,001.10 an ounce, ranging from $996.50 to $1,009.70.
- Palladium for March delivery advanced $9.35, or 0.9%, to $1,006.65 an ounce, trading between $996.05 and $1,015.65.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold gained $16.20, or 1.2%, to $1,352.45 an ounce.
- Silver added 24.5 cents, or 1.5%, to $16.825 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2018
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Last Week | This Week | December | January | February | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | N/A | 20,000 | N/A | N/A | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 500 | 1,500 | 38,000 | 36,000 | 3,000 | 39,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,000 | 16,000 | 0 | 16,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 26,000 | 0 | 26,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25,000 | 80,000 | 0 | 80,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 500 | 500 | 14,000 | 24,000 | 2,000 | 26,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 225,000 | 410,000 | 742,000 | 3,235,000 | 635,000 | 3,870,000 |
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The invisible millionaires walk silently amongst us, steadily and efficiently vacuuming up unbelievable, unheard of quantities of whatever available silver, gold, platinum and palladium they – or rather, their designated gofetchits – can possibly find. Amen.