Gold tipped higher in extremely light trading Thursday as investors remained on the sidelines without market news to spark significant changes one way or the other.
Gold prices for December delivery tacked on $4.20, or 0.3%, to $1,620.20 an ounce. Gold ranged from an intraday low of $1,612.20 to a high of $1,621.00.
"Without any news from central bankers this week, traders are not entering new positions, waiting for the next dose of news from either the ECB or the Fed," said Jeffrey Sherman, commodities portfolio manager at DoubleLine Capital LP, according to Reuters.
"Gold is likely to stay in this trading range until we receive more definitive statements," said Sherman, whose firm has over $40 billion assets under management.
In other New York precious metals futures prices:
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Silver prices for September delivery turned up 2.2 cents, or 0.1%, to $28.097 an ounce. Silver prices traded between $27.835 and $28.185.
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Platinum for October delivery rose $2.60, or 0.2%, to close at $1,412.80 an ounce. It ranged from $1,408.30 to $1,419.00.
- Palladium for September delivery etched out a gain of 20.0 cents to $586.70 an ounce, trading between $583.95 and $590.50.
London Precious Metals
London precious metals were modestly higher as well. When comparing London PM Fix prices:
- Gold gained $1.75, or 0.1%, to $1,615.00 an ounce,
- Silver added 18.0 cents, or 0.6%, to $28.02 an ounce,
- Platinum climbed $9.00, or 0.6%, to $1,411.00 an ounce, and
- Palladium advanced $3.00, or 0.5%, to $588.00 an ounce
Sales of U.S. Mint Bullion Coins
Published sales of U.S. Mint bullion coins were unchanged Thursday. The latest daily, August and year-to-date sales figures for U.S. Mint bullion products follow.
| US Mint American Eagle and Buffalo Bullion Coin Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Gains | August Gains | YTD 2012 | |
| $50 American Gold Eagle Coins | 0 | 3,500 | 317,000 |
| $25 American Gold Eagle Coins | 0 | 0 | 56,000 |
| $10 American Gold Eagle Coins | 0 | 0 | 54,000 |
| $5 American Gold Eagle Coins | 0 | 5,000 | 195,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo Gold Coins | 0 | 2,500 | 81,500 |
| American Silver Eagle Coins | 0 | 765,000 | 20,435,000 |
| America the Beautiful 5 Oz. Silver Bullion Coin Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Gains | August Gains | All-Time Total | |
| 2012 El Yunque National Forest 5 oz. Silver Coins | 0 | 400 | 13,600 |
| 2012 Chaco Culture National Historical Park 5 oz. Silver Coins | 0 | 400 | 7,800 |
| 2012 Acadia National Park 5 oz. Silver Coins | 0 | 600 | 10,500 |
| 2011 Olympic National Park 5 oz. Silver Coins | 0 | 0 | 85,500 |
| 2011 Vicksburg National Military Park 5 oz. Silver Coins | 0 | 0 | 39,100 |
| 2011 Chickasaw Park 5 oz. Silver Coins | 0 | 0 | 29,400 |
| TOTAL | 0 | 1,400 | 185,900 |
Above U.S. Mint bullion sales are in coin totals, not in amount of ounces sold.
