Gold and silver futures marked their first gains in three sessions. Palladium also advanced on Tuesday, while platinum declined.
Gold for December delivery rose $4.10, or 0.3%, to settle at $1,515.70 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold bulls are engaged in a fierce battle to defend the $1500 psychological level as investors seek riskier assets," MarketWatch quoted Lukman Otunuga, senior research analyst at brokerage FXTM.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,503 to a high of $1,518.80. They slipped 0.8% on Monday. Last Thursday, they finished at $1,531.20 an ounce for their strongest settlement since April 11, 2013.
Silver for September delivery tacked on 20.8 cents, or 1.2%, to close at $17.148 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $16.83 and $17.17. They declined 0.3% on Monday. Last Wednesday, they closed at $17.28 an ounce for their highest settlement since ending at $17.441 an ounce on Jan. 26, 2018.
In other precious metals futures Tuesday:
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October platinum declined $4, or 0.5%, to $852.80 an ounce, ranging from $847.10 to $858.50.
- Palladium for September added $15.40, or 1%, to $1,489.70 an ounce, trading between $1,469.80 and $1,490.90.
London Precious Metals Prices
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Monday PM to Tuesday PM:
- Gold rose $7.95, or 0.5%, to $1,504.55 an ounce.
- Silver added 9.5 cents, or 0.6%, to $17.02 an ounce.
LBMA platinum and palladium prices are available on the LBMA’s website with a delay of midnight.
US Mint 2019 Bullion Sales
The United States Mint sales rose by 2,500 ounces in gold coins and by 489,500 ounces in silver coins.
Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. Mint 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 / This Week | Last Week | July | August | 2019 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 2,500 | 1,500 | 2,500 | 5,000 | 86,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 1,000 | 3,000 | 1,000 | 23,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | 28,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 15,000 | 0 | 160,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 500 | 1,000 | 49,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 457,000 | 222,000 | 1,240,000 | 679,000 | 11,941,000 |
| War in the Pacific 5 Oz Silver Coin | 4,500 | 0 | 57,000 | 12,500 | 69,500 |
| American Memorial Park 5 Oz Silver Coin* | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 80,000 |
| Lowell 5 Oz Silver Coin* | N/A | 80,000 | |||
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | N/A | 40,000 | |||
