March sales of Australian bullion coins and bars ended mixed from February — higher for silver and lower for gold, according to the latest Perth Mint figures.
The Mint’s gold sales dropped to their lowest level in seven months but their silver sales bounced after more than halving previously.
These sales registered against a backdrop of lower precious metals with LBMA prices in March marking declines of 0.9% for gold and 1.2% for silver.
Bullion Sales in March 2017
March sales of Perth Mint gold coins and gold bars totaled 22,232 ounces, for declines of 12% from February and 53.6% from March 2016.
For the first quarter or year to date, gold sales reached 120,234 ounces for a 9.4% decrease from the 132,700 ounces sold during the first three months of last year.
The Perth Mint delivered 716,283 ounces in silver bullion last month, rising 42.6% from February but falling 59.2% from a year earlier.
Silver sales tallied to 2,449,503 ounces in the first quarter for a 42.8% drop from last year’s starting three-month total of 4,278,708 ounces.
Perth Mint Gold and Silver Sales by Month
Below is a monthly summary of Perth Mint bullion sales from March 2016 to March 2017. The figures show monthly ounces of gold and silver shipped by the Minted Products division of The Perth Mint to wholesale and retail customers worldwide. It excludes sales of cast bars and other Group activities including sales of allocated/unallocated precious metal for storage by the Depository.
| Perth Mint Bullion Sales (in troy ounces) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Silver | Gold | |
| March 2017 | 716,283 | 22,232 |
| February 2017 | 502,353 | 25,257 |
| January 2017 | 1,230,867 | 72,745 |
| December 2016 | 430,009 | 63,420 |
| November 2016 | 984,622 | 54,747 |
| October 2016 | 1,084,231 | 79,048 |
| September 2016 | 1,031,858 | 58,811 |
| August 2016 | 376,461 | 14,684 |
| July 2016 | 693,447 | 16,870 |
| June 2016 | 1,220,817 | 31,368 |
| May 2016 | 974,865 | 21,035 |
| April 2016 | 1,161,766 | 47,542 |
| March 2016 | 1,756,238 | 47,948 |
I’ve heard rumours that gold bullion has been artificially depressed. Certainly since I bought bullion from Perth Mint years ago (sometime in the 1990s) it’s barely risen at all. I’d like to understand why this is. Any comments?