Gold futures logged their first gain in five sessions Thursday, rising slightly from a four-week low on safe-haven support as U.S. stocks tumbled.
Gold for April delivery added $4.40, or 0.3%, to settle at $1,319 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Another big sell off in the U.S. stock market prompted safe-haven demand in both gold and silver markets," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a report. "Bargain hunters also stepped into both markets after they had dropped to multi-week lows early on today."
Gold futures traded from a low of $1,309 to a high of $1,324.50. They dropped 1.1% on Wednesday — ending at their lowest price since Jan. 9, shed 0.5% on Tuesday, and dipped less than 0.1% on Monday.
Silver for March delivery rose 10.3 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $16.341 an ounce. Silver futures ranged from $16.19 to $16.43. They sank 2.1% on Wednesday — finishing at their weakest price since Dec. 19, shed 0.6% on Tuesday, and lost 0.2% on Monday.
In rounding out precious metals dealings:
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April platinum declined $3.30, or 0.3%, to $978.40 an ounce, trading between $972.60 and $986.40.
- Palladium for March delivery fell $22.35, or 2.3%, to $962.20 an ounce, ranging from $955.10 to $983.90.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold declined $9.20, or 0.7%, to $1,315.45 an ounce.
- Silver fell 34.5 cents, or 2.1%, to $16.345 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2018
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Last Week | This Week | December | January | February | 2018 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 500 | 38,000 | 36,000 | 1,500 | 37,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,000 | 16,000 | 0 | 16,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 26,000 | 0 | 26,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 5,000 | 0 | 25,000 | 80,000 | 0 | 80,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,500 | 500 | 14,000 | 24,000 | 1,500 | 25,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 140,000 | 225,000 | 742,000 | 3,235,000 | 225,000 | 3,460,000 |
