Precious metals futures were little changed Thursday. Silver and palladium rose slightly while gold and platinum declined modestly.
Gold for April delivery lost $5.90, or 0.4%, to settle at $1,321.70 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"The stronger dollar is definitely a headwind for gold," Reuters quoted Walter Pehowich, executive vice president of investment services at Dillon Gage Metals. "Once it broke above the 90 level (vs the dollar index), gold came under significant pressure."
Gold futures traded from a low of $1,319.60 to a high of $1,329.80. They declined 0.6% on Wednesday, gained 1.2% on Tuesday — ending at their best level since Feb. 16, and fell 0.3% on Monday.
Silver for May delivery edged up about a half cent, or less than 0.1%, to end at $16.50 an ounce. Silver futures ranged from $16.43 to $16.58. They dropped 1.7% on Wednesday, rallied 2.3% on Tuesday and declined 0.3% on Monday.
In PGM futures on Thursday:
-
April platinum shed 90 cents, or nearly 0.1%, to $952.30 an ounce, trading between $946.80 and $960.10.
- Palladium for June delivery gained $6.55, or 0.7%, to $965.60 an ounce, ranging from $958 to $983.90.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold declined $8.40, or 0.6%, to $1,321 an ounce.
- Silver declined 16.5 cents, or 1%, to $16.48 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
U.S. Mint bullion sales were unchanged as of 3:02 p.m. ET. On Wednesday, American Gold Buffalo coins climbed by 1,000 ounces. Bullion sales were silent on Tuesday. On Monday, the U.S. Mint’s American Gold and Silver Eagles logged their first gains of the month.
Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. Mint bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Last Week | This Week / March | February | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 2,500 | 5,000 | 43,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 10,000 | 5,000 | 95,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 500 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 27,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 237,500 | 165,000 | 942,500 | 4,342,500 |
| Pictured Rocks 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 20,000 | 0 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
