Precious metals were divided for a second session on Thursday, with pricing changes for each of them being very modest.
Gold for February delivery rose by $3.60, or 0.2%, to settle at $2,051.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Gold will continue to maintain price levels above $2,000 and these expectations we have of lowering inflationary pressures will continue to foster the sideways to higher movement in gold," Reuters quoted David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures.
Gold futures traded between $2,043.30 and $2,058. They edged 0.2% lower on Wednesday, they gained 0.6% on Tuesday, and they climbed by 0.2% on Monday.
Meanwhile, silver for March delivery slipped by 4.6 cents, or 0.2%, to end at $24.585 an ounce. Silver futures ranged from $24.43 to $24.79. They tacked on 1.3% on Wednesday, they moved up by 0.9% on Tuesday, and they shed 0.2% on Monday.
In other futures prices on Thursday:
-
January platinum fell by $3.70, or 0.4%, to $970.30 an ounce, trading between $955 and $975.
- Palladium for March delivery added $1.30, or 0.1%, to $1,228.20 an ounce, ranging from $1,196.50 to $1,236.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2023
Last Friday, the U.S. Mint published new bullion sales data, which includes updated figures for November and the initial figures for December. No further changes have been published since then.
The table below presents a breakdown of U.S. Mint bullion products sold, with columns indicating the number of coins sold (not total ounces) during different time periods.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | November | December | 2023 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 97,000 | 40,000 | 12,500 | 921,500 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 7,000 | 6,000 | 1,000 | 102,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 18,000 | 16,000 | 0 | 198,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 30,000 | 55,000 | 10,000 | 670,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 36,500 | 14,000 | 12,500 | 394,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 3,938,000 | 2,378,000 | 368,000 | 24,593,000 |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12,700 |
