Precious metals futures ended mostly lower Monday. Palladium was the exception, jumping 3.5% to finish near an all-time record.
Gold for December delivery declined $4.10, or 0.3%, to settle at $1,224.60 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold is in for a little bit of a lull early this week as not much [is] in the way of economic data until Thursday with durable goods … but Friday, with the first look at [third quarter gross domestic product], could be a market mover for gold, interest rates and the U.S. dollar all intertwined," MarketWatch quoted Jeff Wright, executive vice president of mineral exploration company GoldMining Inc.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,222.80 to a high of $1,232.60. They gained 0.6% last week for their third straight weekly increase.
Ending lower for fourth time in five sessions, silver for December shed 6.3 cents, or 0.4%, to $14.587 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $14.54 and $14.72. They climbed 0.1% last week.
In other precious metals prices:
-
January platinum dropped $13.50, or 1.6%, to $822.50 an ounce, ranging from $820.50 to $842.
- Palladium for December delivery soared $37.80 to $1,107.70 an ounce — its best settlement since the Jan. 17 all-time high of $1,109.70 an ounce. Prices traded between between $1,070.60 and $1,112.
The pair divided last week with platinum falling 0.5% and palladium rising 0.9%.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Friday PM to Monday PM:
- Gold declined $5.55, or 0.5%, to 1,222.30 an ounce.
- Silver rose 2 cents, or 0.1%, to $14.63 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight
In LBMA results last week, platinum declined 0.4% while the other metal prices gained — 0.7% for gold, 0.1% for silver, and 0.2% for palladium.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2018
United States Mint bullion products increased by 4,000 ounces in American Gold Eagles and by 200,000 ounces in American Silver Eagles.
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) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Last Week | September | October | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 4,000 | 2,500 | 14,500 | 17,000 | 168,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 26,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 58,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 40,000 | 10,000 | 210,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,500 | 11,000 | 5,000 | 113,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 200,000 | 200,000 | 2,897,500 | 1,330,000 | 13,465,000 |
| Pictured Rocks 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Apostle Islands 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Voyageurs 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Cumberland Island 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 52,500 | 0 | 52,500 |
