Gold futures turned lower Thursday, posting their fifth loss in six sessions. Silver also fell, slipping from a 23.5-month high, while platinum and palladium gained as a pair for a second day in a row.
Gold for August delivery declined $11.40, or 0.8%, to settle at $1,332.20 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,320.40 to a high of $1,348, after rising 0.6% in the prior session.
"Britain has got a new prime minister, which, alongside expectations of more stimulus from the Bank of England, has brought a sense of relief to markets, so gold is easing and everything else is rising on that," Reuters quoted Citi strategist David Wilson said. "But the whole process of Brexit negotiations, which hasn’t started yet, implies financial risks that will be supportive for the metal in the medium term."
Silver for September delivery shed 9.1 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $20.322 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $20.06 and $20.62. On Wednesday, they jumped 1.2% and ended at their highest level since July 30, 2014.
In other precious metals futures:
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October platinum rose $4.40, or 0.4%, to $1,104.60 an ounce, ranging from $1,084.20 to $1,105.50.
- Palladium for September delivery gained $6.90, or 1.1%, to $651.10 an ounce, trading between $636.65 and $652.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold fell $19.15, or 1.4%, to $1,323.60 an ounce.
- Silver shed 4 cents, or 0.2%, to $20.25 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
US Mint Bullion Coin Sales in 2016
United States Mint bullion sales advanced on Thursday by 4,000 in American Eagle and Buffalo gold coins and by 150,000 ounces in American Silver Eagles
On Monday, the U.S. Mint set its latest weekly allocation of American Silver Eagles to 3,649,500 coins. Bullion distributors ordered 12.2% of them through Thursday. Although their sales have slowed in recent weeks, 2016 Silver Eagles are still tracking toward an annual record with 26,945,500 sold. The figure represents a 10% increase over those sold through same time in record-breaking year 2015.
Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. Mint bullion products with columns listing the number of bullion coins sold during varying periods of time.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday Sales | Last Week | This Week | June Sales | July Sales | 2016 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coins | 2,000 | 7,500 | 8,000 | 62,500 | 15,500 | 421,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coins | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 3,000 | 2,000 | 48,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coins | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 10,000 | 4,000 | 90,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coins | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 70,000 | 10,000 | 515,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coins | 1,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 14,500 | 4,500 | 117,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coins | 150,000 | 250,000 | 445,000 | 2,837,500 | 695,000 | 26,945,500 |
| 2016 Shawnee 5 Oz Silver Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 105,000 |
| 2016 Cumberland Gap 5 Oz Silver Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75,000 |
| 2016 Harpers Ferry 5 Oz Silver Coins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34,200 | 0 | 34,200 |
