Silver, platinum and palladium logged gains Thursday while gold recorded its second consecutive loss after having hit a three-week high on Tuesday.
Gold for February delivery gave back $1.10, or 0.06%, to settle at $1,837.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The settlement was the lowest since Wednesday, Dec. 2.
"The safe haven metals are now languishing and need a new fundamental spark to reinvigorate the bulls. The precious metals are being squelched this week amid less risk aversion in the marketplace," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals Inc., said in a daily research note.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,831.50 to a high of $1,851.30. They fell 1.9% on Wednesday, they rose 0.5% on Tuesday — marking their best settlement since Nov. 17, and they gained 1.4% on Monday.
Silver for March delivery rose 10.4 cent, or 0.4%, to close at $24.094 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $23.82 and $24.34. They tumbled 3% on Wednesday, for their lowest settlement since Nov. 30, they dipped 0.2% on Tuesday and they rose 2.2% on Monday, finishing at their best level since Nov. 16.
In other precious metals prices Thursday:
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January platinum gained $9.20, or 0.9%, to $1,027.70 an ounce, ranging from $1,005.80 to $1,049.20.
- Palladium for March delivery surged $44.90, or 2%, to $2,335.50 an ounce, trading between $2,266.50 and $2,383.50.
London Precious Metals Prices (LBMA)
In comparing earlier fixed London gold and silver prices from Wednesday PM to Thursday PM:
- Gold added $2.60, or 0.1%, to $1,844.35 an ounce.
- Silver lost 20 cents, or 0.8%, to $23.885 an ounce.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2020
United States Mint bullion sales increased Thursday by 6,500 ounces in American Gold Eagles.
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) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Last Week | This Week | October | November | December | 2020 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 6,500 | 12,500 | 22,500 | 64,500 | 77,000 | 29,000 | 728,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,000 | 4,000 | 0 | 68,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8,000 | 10,000 | 0 | 106,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 5,000 | 0 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 0 | 350,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 7,500 | 1,000 | 19,500 | 23,500 | 5,500 | 237,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 800,000 | 475,000 | 3,397,000 | 4,805,000 | 751,000 | 30,089,500 |
| America Samoa 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Weir Farm 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Salt River Bay 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Marsh Billings 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| Tallgrass Prairie 5 oz Silver Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56,500 |
