Most precious metals futures rose Monday. Platinum was the exception, easing 0.8%. Gold finished at its best price in more than six months.
Gold for February delivery tacked on $13.70, or 1.1%, to settle at $1,271.80 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The settlement was the highest since June 15 when gold ended at $1,278.50 an ounce.
" think we are still very much on track to touch the year-end target of $1,275 [for gold] and the continuing situation in the U.S. can easily lead us there," MarketWatch quoted Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst with Think Markets UK. "Any weakness in the stock markets would fuel the current rally."
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,260 to a high of $1,273.90. They advanced 1.4% last week.
Elsewhere, silver for March delivery rose 11.8 cents, or 0.8%, to settle at $14.82 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $14.71 and $14.88. They gained 0.4% last week. On Thursday, the precious metal marked its best close since Aug. 14.
In other precious metals futures prices Monday:
-
January platinum declined $6.40 to $789.40 an ounce, ranging from $788.30 to $798.30.
- Palladium for March delivery gained $17.40, or 1.5%, to $1,176.10 an ounce, trading between $1,158 and $1,177.60. Last Wednesday, palladium ended at a record of $1,201.30 an ounce.
The pair divided last week with platinum rising 1.3% and palladium dropping 1.1%.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Friday PM to the latest on Monday:
- Gold rose $3.10, or 0.3%, to $1,261.25 an ounce.
- Silver declined 1.5 cents, or 0.1%, to $14.675 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight
In LBMA results last week, pricing gains totaled 1.9% for gold, 0.8% for both silver and platinum, and 0.7% for palladium.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2018
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged. 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 | November | December | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 16,000 | 2,000 | 190,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 32,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 62,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 20,000 | 0 | 230,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 5,500 | 1,500 | 121,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 100,000 | 1,645,000 | 350,000 | 15,560,000 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 52,500 |
| Block Island 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 80,000 | 0 | 80,000 |
