Precious metals futures ended mixed Tuesday. Gold declined slightly while silver closed higher for the first time in six sessions.
Gold for December delivery shed $2.10, or 0.2%, to settle at $1,262.60 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The settlement is the weakest since July 27.
"The light selling pressure came as the outside markets turned bearish on the day in morning U.S. trading," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a report. "The U.S. dollar index scored decent gains and crude oil prices were weaker. Losses were limited by some safe-haven demand that cropped up amid an uptick in U.S.-North Korea tensions."
Gold futures traded from a low $1,257.10 to a high of $1,271. They increased a dime in their start to the week on Monday.
Silver for September delivery tacked on 13.8 cents, or 0.9%, to settle at $16.389 an ounce. Silver futures ranged from $16.20 to $16.46. They dipped one-tenth of a cent on Monday.
In other precious metals prices Tuesday:
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October platinum added $2.90, or 0.3%, to $974.50 an ounce, trading between $969.50 and $982.80.
- Palladium for September delivery advanced $13.20, or 1.5%, to $898.40 an ounce, ranging from $883 to $899.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Monday PM to Tuesday PM:
- Gold added $3.80, or 0.3%, to 1,261.80 an ounce.
- Silver added 9 cents, or 0.6%, to $16.39 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2017
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged as of 3:33 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) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Last Week | This Week | July | August | YTD | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,000 | 500 | 13,500 | 500 | 156,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 1,000 | 0 | 1,000 | 28,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 52,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 | 0 | 290,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,500 | 0 | 5,000 | 0 | 71,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 50,000 | 110,000 | 2,320,000 | 110,000 | 14,663,500 |
| 2017 Effigy Mounds 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35,000 |
| 2017 Frederick Douglass 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
| 2017 Ozark Riverways 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 |
