Precious metals gained on Thursday, following two consecutive days of across-the-board losses. Advances ranged from 0.6% for silver to 2.6% for palladium.
Gold for February delivery rose by $15.10, or 0.8%, to close at $2,021.60 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Some safe-haven demand is featured in the yellow metal as risk aversion has up-ticked late this week following more military action in the Middle East," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Inc, said in a daily research note.
Gold futures traded between $2,007.70 and $2,025.60. They declined by 1.2% on Wednesday, marking their lowest settlement since Dec. 13, and they lost 1% in the start of the new trading week on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, silver for March delivery added 13.8 cents, ending at $22.807 an ounce. Silver futures ranged from $22.52 to $22.90. They dropped by 1.8% on Wednesday, for their lowest settlement since Nov. 13, and they fell by 1% on Tuesday.
In other precious metals futures prices on Thursday:
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April platinum tacked on $22.40, or 2.5%, to $912 an ounce, trading between $889.90 and $916.50.
- Palladium for March delivery advanced by 24.30 to $944 an ounce, ranging from $916.50 to $947.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2024
On Thursday, the U.S. Mint did not publish any changes in bullion sales. On Wednesday, the bureau reported bullion sales gains, including 11,500 ounces in American Gold Eagles, 846,000 ounces in American Silver Eagles, and 4,000 ounces in American Gold Buffalos.
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) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursdaystrong> | Last Week | This Week | November | December | 2023 Sales | January | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 12,500 | 8,000 | 40,000 | 15,000 | 924,000 | 60,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 4,000 | 0 | 6,000 | 1,000 | 102,000 | 21,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 6,000 | 0 | 16,000 | 0 | 198,000 | 36,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 5,000 | 35,000 | 55,000 | 15,000 | 675,000 | 80,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 9,000 | 4,000 | 14,000 | 5,500 | 387,000 | 36,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 850,000 | 846,000 | 2,378,000 | 525,000 | 24,750,000 | 4,875,000 |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12,700 | 0 |
