Precious metals split Tuesday with platinum and palladium posting gains and gold and silver registering losses.
Gold for December delivery declined $16.10, or 0.8%, to settle at $1,923.10 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Profit taking and selling from weak-handed long positions in the futures markets are featured today, amid upbeat trader and investor attitudes," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a daily research note.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,919.10 to a high of $1,944.10. They shed 0.4% on Monday. Earlier this month, on Aug. 6, gold marked a record settlement of $2,069.40 an ounce.
Silver for September delivery fell 33.4 cents, or 1.3%, to close at $26.273 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $26.13 and $26.86. They slipped 0.5% on Monday.
In other precious metals futures Tuesday:
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October platinum rose $9.50, or 1%, to $934 an ounce, ranging from $923.50 to $947.70.
- Palladium for September delivery gained $6.40, or 0.3%, to $2,171.90 an ounce, trading between $2,133.40 and $2,201.68.
London Precious Metals Prices (LBMA)
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Monday PM to Tuesday PM:
- Gold dropped $32.80, or 1.7%, to $1,911.15 an ounce.
- Silver fell 39 cents, or 1.5%, to $26.495 an ounce.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2020
United States Mint bullion sales were unchanged Tuesday. 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 | June | July | August | 2020 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 16,500 | 42,500 | 107,500 | 86,000 | 521,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 6,000 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 6,000 | 51,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 12,000 | 2,000 | 10,000 | 12,000 | 76,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 30,000 | 0 | 35,000 | 30,000 | 240,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 4,000 | 7,500 | 30,000 | 22,500 | 178,500 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 1,000,000 | 1,398,000 | 1,084,500 | 2,593,000 | 16,294,000 |
| America Samoa 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Weir Farm 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Salt River Bay 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Marsh Billings 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 | 0 | 45,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56,500 |
