Most precious metals futures finished lower Thursday. Gold was the exception, registering its third gain in four sessions.
Gold for December delivery rose $2.70, or 0.2%, to settle at $1,230.10 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Given equity weakness, gold looks increasingly attractive as a defensive hedge," MarketWatch quoted Stephen Innes, Asia-Pacific head of trading at Oanda, in an email update. "But with the [dollar] refusing to stay down for the count, markets could be torn between competing narratives over the near term, weaker equities vs. the stronger USD."
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,221.70 to a high of $1,233.60. They shed 0.3% on Wednesday, edged up less than 0.1% on Tuesday — closing at their highest price since July 31, and they moved up 0.7% on Monday.
Ending down for a third day in a row, silver for December declined 5.9 cents, or 0.4%, to $14.604 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $14.47 and $14.68. They lost 0.3% on Wednesday, declined 0.2% on Tuesday, and rose 0.6% on Monday for their best settlement since Aug. 28.
In other precious metals futures prices Thursday:
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January platinum fell $8.90, or 1.1%, to $831.70 an ounce, ranging from $828.60 to $837.30.
- Palladium for December delivery lost $2.90, or 0.3% to $1,064.70 an ounce, trading between $1,057.50 and $1,070.60.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold declined $6.05, or 0.5%, to 1,223 an ounce.
- Silver fell 13.5 cents, or 0.9%, to $14.515 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. 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 | September | October | 2018 Sales | |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 6,000 | 2,500 | 14,500 | 13,000 | 164,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 26,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 58,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40,000 | 10,000 | 210,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 11,000 | 5,000 | 113,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 260,000 | 200,000 | 2,897,500 | 1,130,000 | 13,265,000 |
| Pictured Rocks 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Apostle Islands 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Voyageurs 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 |
| Cumberland Island 5 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52,500 | 0 | 52,500 |
