Weekly Market Recap 2/27/09

The stock market is still far too volatile to trust that your portfolio is going survive - let alone thrive. Investors fear that new government spending will only drive down the value of ordinary investments even more, thus making precious metals even more attractive. This week we have seen precious metals prices fluctuate some from last weeks gains. Investors around the world continue to insist on physical delivery of precious metals, which continues to place strains on the market. Should the metals rally continue, physical metal will become even harder to obtain.

After gold prices rose above the $1000 level last week many investors chose to sell metals to secure cash, instead of chasing the price even higher. Risk aversion remains strong as the global recession continues, making now the perfect time to buy precious metals before the supply falls short of the high demand created by investors and collectors.

Here is a brief synopsis of the highs and lows in the market and an overview of our very popular bullion products and numismatics here at http://www.apmex.com./

Gold:
Spot Gold prices opened this week at $994.30. The high during the week was on Monday February 23 at $999.60, while the low for the week occurred on Thursday February 26 at $932.20. Gold ended the week down at $941.20. This week, 2009 1 oz Gold American Eagles, 2009 Gold Canadian Maple Leafs, 2009 1/10 oz. Gold Maple Leafs, 1/10 oz. Gold Australian Lunars, 1/20 oz. Gold Australian Lunars and 1 oz. Pamp Suisse Gold Bars were very popular with investors as gold kissed the $1000 mark for a second week.

Silver:
Spot Silver prices opened last week at $14.38. Silver continues to be the "Go ToVehicle" for many investors. Very active trading pushed spot silver to a high of $14.60, on Monday February 23, while the low for silver occurred on Thursday February 26, at $12.93. Silver ended the week down at $13.18. 2009 Silver American Eagles, 1 oz. Silver Buffalo Rounds, 2009 Silver Canadian Maples , 10 oz. Silver Morgan Bars and 1 oz. Silver APMEX rounds saw phenomenal action this week as investors continue to stock pile this highly sought after metal.

Platinum:
Spot Platinum prices opened last week at $1091.00, but ended the week down at $1081.50. Supplies of platinum continue to be tight though APMEX has been able to stock limited quantities of 1 oz. Platinum Pamp Suisse Bars, 1 oz. Scotiabank Platinum bars, 2009 1 oz. Platinum Canadian Maple Leafs and 1 oz. Credit Suisse Platinum bars.

Palladium:
Spot Palladium prices opened this week at $214.05, but ended the week down at $199.85. Of all the precious metals, palladium seems to be the rarest metal lately. Many investors are interested in palladium, but finding products to stock continues to be difficult at best. This week the 1 oz. and 10 oz. Pamp Suisse Palladium Bars and 100 oz. Fine Palladium Bars were hot items. Again, these bars will not last long due to popular demand.

Numismatics:
As the Dow Jones Industrial Average flirted with breaking through the 7,000 barrier, Gold did break through the $1,000 level, albeit briefly. This upward pressure on gold is having a very positive impact on the US coin market. Demand for Pre-1933 US Gold Coins is very strong and the demand for Bullion Gold is insatiable.

As a by-product o f this demand for the yellow metal, World Gold coins are also in demand. We have seen our sales of these numismatic and quasi-numismatic items soar in recent weeks. This has also lead to increased demand for World Coins in all metals. As we have reported in the most recent past, Type Coins, Morgan Dollars and Proof and Mint Sets are continuing to lead the advances, while Classic Commemorative coins continue to slide even lower. At the sake of repeating ourselves, there are some outstanding buying opportunities in today’s market place!