Precious Metals Reach Highest Levels Since Mid-November

Gold and silver futures continued their march higher on Thursday amid broad-based gains in the precious metals space.

COMEX gold for April delivery settled with a gain of $9.80, or 0.6%, at $1,759.30 per ounce, while silver advanced $0.37, or 1.1%, to $34.16 per ounce.  In doing so, both gold and silver reached their best levels since mid-November and extended their year-to-date gains to 12.3% and 22.3%, respectively.

Platinum futures rose $6.70, or 0.4%, to $1,629.90 per ounce, while palladium jumped $10.95, or 1.6%, to $707.65 per ounce.

The rally in precious metals came despite stability in the U.S. dollar, which was higher by 0.1% against a composite of the world’s leading fiat currencies in afternoon trading.