Gold futures logged their first increase on Monday after nine straight session losses dragged prices down by a combined 4.6%.
Gold for April delivery gained $1.70, or 0.1%, to settle at $1,203.10 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold and silver prices ended a quieter U.S. day session slightly up Monday. Both markets saw minor upside price corrections and short covering from the shorter-term futures traders after they hit multi-week lows last Friday," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a report. "Precious metals bulls are still in technical trouble amid the recent downdrafts in prices."
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,202 to a high of $1,210.90. They declined 2.1% last week, ending at their lowest point since Jan. 30.
Snapping a four-session losing streak, silver for May delivery settled up 4.9 cents, or 0.3%, to $16.972 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $16.96 and $17.16. They tumbled 4.6% last week, and marked their weakest close since Jan. 26.
In other precious metals futures:
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April platinum added $3, or 0.3%, to $941.20 an ounce, ranging from $938.70 to $949.20.
- Palladium for June delivery tacked on $9.30, or 1.3%, to $754.45 an ounce, trading between $746.15 and $758.00.
Both metals declined last week — platinum by 5.6% and palladium by 2.9%.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London bullion prices from Friday PM to Monday PM:
- Gold added $1.55, or 0.1%, to $1,204.20 an ounce.
- Silver added 13 cents, or 0.8%, to $17.02 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
Last week, London metal prices registered losses totaling 2% for gold, 4.4% for silver, 4.6% for platinum and 0.5% for palladium.
US Mint Bullion Coin Sales in 2017
U.S. Mint bullion sales were unchanged as of 3:40 p.m. ET. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods. Products with an asterisk (*) are no longer available.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday Sales | Last Week | Feb Sales | Mar Sales | 2017 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 3,500 | 21,000 | 3,500 | 111,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 5,000 | 0 | 24,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 40,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 10,000 | 30,000 | 10,000 | 165,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 500 | 15,000 | 500 | 47,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 280,000 | 1,215,000 | 280,000 | 6,622,500 |
| 2017 Effigy Mounds 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 19,500 | 0 | 19,500 |
| 2016 Shawnee 5 Oz Silver Coins* | – | ||||
| 2016 Cumberland Gap 5 Oz Silver Coin* | – | ||||
| 2016 Harpers Ferry 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 Theodore Roosevelt 5 Oz Silver Coin* | – | ||||
| 2016 Fort Moultrie 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
