Weekly Market Recap 1/30/2009

Precious metals were on the rise early in the week as the dollar weakened and crude oil advanced, raising the demand for metals as an alternative investment and inflation hedge. Overall, the precious metal prices trend has been upward despite some short term dips. Most experts agree that this trend could continue for the foreseeable future. A late run in the market on Friday moved precious metals prices to highs unseen in the past few weeks.

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 www.APMEX.com.

Gold:
Spot Gold prices opened this week at $898.90. The high during the week was on Friday, January 30 at $929.50, while the low for the week occurred on Wednesday, January 28 at $882.00. This week, investors concentrated their purchases on 2009 1 oz Gold American Eagles, 2009 1 oz Gold Maples, 1/10th oz. Gold Maples, 5 gram Pamp Suisse Bars and 2008/2009Gold Krugerrands.



Silver:
Spot Silver prices opened last week at $11.94. Silver reached a high of $12.75 at the close of the market on Friday, January 30. The low for silver occurred on Thursday, January 29 at $11.63. 2009 Silver American Eagles, 1 oz. Silver Buffalo Rounds, 2009 Silver Canadian Maples, 2009 Silver Chinese Pandas, and 2009 Silver “Year of the Ox” Lunar Coins were popular investment vehicles this week.


Platinum:
Spot Platinum prices ended the week at $1000.00 after opening at $961.00. Platinum continues to be difficult to locate as much of the supply has been picked up by savvy investors already. APMEX has 1 oz. Platinum Credit Suisse Bars and 1 gram Platinum Credit Suisse bars ready to ship to investors eager to take advantage of the lowered platinum spot prices! These items will not last long so purchase your platinum today!



Palladium:
Spot Palladium prices opened this week at $195.00, and ended the week up at $200.80. Palladium products continue to be in great demand and very hard to come by. This week the 1 oz. and 10 oz. Pamp Suisse Palladium Bars were hot items. Again, these bars will not last long due to popular demand.




Numismatics:
The recent upward price surge in both Gold and Silver spot price has had a very positive impact on both Pre-1933 Gold Coins and in Morgan Silver Dollars. This has translated into higher prices nearly across the board in price movements in Pre-1933 Gold from Very Fine Condition to MS65 and especially in Extremely Fine condition Morgan Silver Dollars. The recent sell-out of the Ultra High Relief $20.00 Gold Coins by the US Mint added additional fuel to the fiery passion for gold! With Gold breaking the $900 level and with Silver crossing the $12 an ounce barrier, there is renewed demand in the precious metals and, subsequently, in numismatic coins.

But not every category is quickly rising. Type coins remain solid at current levels and Proof and Mint sets are seeing many more bidders at the current levels. But selected Commemorative Coins have retreated further in price. With the Long Beach coin show looming on the horizon, prices seem poised to improve!

Weekly Market Recap 1/24/09

Recession trends continue to impact Wall Street and the World Markets. With newly elected President Barack Obama now in the White House, Wall Street hopes for a fresh start. However, many reports point to a deepening recession. Concerned investors continue their interest in physical bullion as a haven from the tumultuous market. There is no time like the present to put precious metals in your portfolio and protect your financial future. A surge in the market late in the week opened the door for big gains in the precious metals market.

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 www.APMEX.com.

Gold:
Spot Gold prices opened this week at $837.00. The high during the week was at the close of the market on Friday January 23rd, at $901.60, while the low for the week occurred on Tuesday January 20th, at $823.60. This week, concerned investors placed their hopes in 2009 1 oz Gold American Eagles, 2009 1 oz Gold Maples, 1/10th oz. Gold Maples, 1/10th oz. Gold American Eagles and 2.5 gram Gold Pamp Suisse Bars.

Silver:
Spot Silver prices opened last week at $11.10. The low for silver occurred on Tuesday January 20th, 2009 at $10.92. Silver ended the week up at $12.06 at the final closing bell. 1 oz. Silver Maple 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Commemorative Coins, 1 oz Silver Buffalo Rounds, 2009 Silver Maple Leafs , and 2009 Silver American Eagles were very large movers in the market.

Platinum:
Spot Platinum prices opened last week at $949.00, but ended the week up at $9.64. Investors were eager to purchase Platinum, primarily securing 1 oz. Platinum Credit Suisse Bars.

Palladium:
Spot Palladium prices opened this week at $183.00, and ended the week up at $201.00. Palladium products continue to be in great demand and very hard to come by. This week the 1 oz. and 10 oz. Pamp Suisse Palladium Bars were hot items. Again, these bars will not last long due to popular demand and very limited supply.

Numismatics:
A number of our numismatists attended the Hot Springs (Arkansas) coin show this past weekend. The buying activity level at the show was strong for all bullion-related items. Morgan Silver Dollars and Peace Silver Dollars were very much in demand. Early Lincoln Cents were aggressively priced and many dealers reported strong sales, a trend that has been continuing for the past few months. Proof and Mint Sets were very active; First Spouse Gold Coins were on many want lists.

The rare coin market is healthy but somewhat spotty; there is significant strength in many areas, but not all. Another issue that is affecting the market is the release of the Saint-Gaudens High-Relief Double Eagle Bullion coin. Many dealers and collectors are ordering as many pieces as possible and that affects the cash flow in the marketplace.

Weekly Market Recap 1/16/09

Precious Metals fell early in the week as the United States Dollar grew stronger, and dropping commodity costs reduced demand as a hedge against inflation. As precious metals fluctuated a bit this week they had a mid-week surge after the U.S. retail sales reported the largest slump in at least 16 years. Many experts predict the deepening of the recession due to continued reports like Retail Sales.

Overall the bearish market trend continues and any rally in metals prices could be short lived unless we see a substantial change in the overall global economic scenario. Gold and other precious metals (often seen as a secure store of value in times of turmoil) is benefiting from the fear triggered by poor economic data and bad news from banks that has raised the prospect of a prolonged recession. If you still are on the fence, now is the time to make the move towards the metals market while spot prices are still historically low and preparing for possible strong future surge.

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 www.APMEX.com.


Gold:
Spot Gold prices opened this week at $856.10. The high during the week was on Monday January 12th at $857.50, while the low for the week occurred on Thursday January 15th at $801.50. Gold ended the week down at $845.10. This week, 2009 1 oz Gold American Eagles, 2009 1 oz Gold Maples, 2008/9 1 oz. Gold Krugerrands and gold bars were on investors' minds.



Silver:
Spot Silver prices opened this week at $11.27. Active trading pushed spot silver to a high of $11.38 on Friday January 16th, 2009. The low for silver also occurred on Thursday the 15th at $10.32. Silver ended the week up slightly at $11.38. 1 oz. Silver Maple 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Commemorative Coins, 1 oz Silver Buffalo Rounds, 2009 Silver Maple Leafs , and 2009 Silver American Eagles were very hot this week. In general, investors nationwide were quickly picking up silver products.



Platinum:
Spot Platinum prices opened this week at $1009.90, but ended the week down at $960.00 Investors were eager to purchase Platinum, though the supplies were very limited. APMEX has 1 oz. Platinum Credit Suisse Bars and 1 gram Platinum Credit Suisse Bars ready to ship! These items will not last long so purchase yours today!




Palladium:
Spot Palladium prices opened this week at $191.90, but ended the week down jus a little at $191.35. Palladium products continue to be in great demand and very hard to come by. This week the 1 oz. and 10 oz. Pamp Suisse Palladium Bars were hot items. Again, these bars will not last long due to popular demand.




Numismatics:
The Florida United Numismatists (F.U.N.) show in Florida proved that rare coins are in demand regardless of the economic situation. The auctions garnered over $62,000,000.00 in prices realized! While the market showed some weaknesses in a few areas - many were strong – some were white hot. Leading the charge were early Lincoln cents, rolls of Lincoln cents, modern commemorative gold and silver coins, and early Proof and Mint Sets.
Some of the APMEX numismatists will be attending the Hot Springs (Arkansas) Coin Show this weekend. We will be at this show looking for great coins and currency to purchase for our clients. We will report to you next week about our experiences at the show and tell you what was hot and what was not!

Weekly Market Recap 1/09/09

Precious metals retreated a bit on a stronger dollar, but we expect they will resume their rally in 2009 as they are still a monetary vehicle during economic turmoil. The additional printing of money to finance stimulus packages will lead to higher and higher fiscal imbalances in the market. Most experts believe that a scenario like this opens the door for precious metals to have huge gains in 2009.

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 www.APMEX.com.

Gold:
Spot Gold prices opened this week at $880.70. The high during the week was on Monday at $ 885.50, while the low for the week occurred on Wednesday at $836.00. Gold ended the week down slightly at $856.80. This week, 2009 Gold Maple Leafs, 2009 Gold American Eagles, kilo Gold Bars and 1 oz Gold Krugerrands we top sellers at APMEX.

Silver:
Spot Silver prices opened at $11.58 this week. Active trading pushed spot silver to a high of $11.77 on Monday, after experiencing the week's low point on the same day at $10.57. Silver rebounded to close this week very slightly down at $11.38. Investors concentrated their interest on 1 oz Silver Buffalo Rounds, 2009 Silver Maple Leafs, 100 oz Johnson Matthey Fine Silver Bars and 2009 Silver American Eagles.

Platinum:
Spot Platinum prices opened this week at $941.10, and ended the week up at $1,006.00. Investors were eager to purchase 1 oz Pamp Suisse Platinum Bars, one of the few platinum products available on the market. The US Mint still is reluctant to release any news on platinum American Eagle production for 2009.

Palladium:
Spot Palladium prices opened this week at $195.00, and ended the week up a modest few dollars at $197.00. Palladium products continue to be in great demand and nearly impossible to locate.

Numismatics:
The Florida United Numismatists (F.U.N.) show in Florida is underway this week and while information is still arriving about the market activity, the results from the auctions held before the FUN show started were very strong. For example, 3 silver Roosevelt Dimes, all graded by PCGS as MS68FT, sold for over $8,000.00 each! That is a record price for a silver Roosevelt Dime – and it happened 3 times in one auction alone!

The early reports from the show are that early Lincoln Cents are continuing their strong climb upwards, in anticipation of many new collectors joining the ranks of Lincoln Cent collectors. It is believed that the 4 new reverse designs should spur new interest in the venerable old Lincoln Cent. But several other dealers at the show have already reported that the premiums on Pre-1933 US Gold coins have shrunk to more reasonable levels, they are also telling us that Classic Commemorative coins prices are very quiet and demand is soft.

Does that mean that now is the perfect time to purchase these items at attractive levels? Only time will tell!

Weekly Market Recap: December 29, 2008 Thru January 2, 2009

2008 was definitely the year of economic uncertainty! Over the course of this year we have seen the home mortgage crisis, bank failures and bailouts, and an auto industry on the cusp of implosion. All these developments along with a market recession have spawned the biggest financial meltdown in 80 years. With 2009 just underway, there is still major economic turmoil in the marketplace. The United States seeks change to stimulate not only our economy but the worldwide market as well.

However, precious metals have been the safe haven for savvy investors in 2008 and will continue to be so in 2009. This year precious metals reached record highs across the board before the effects of the slumping economy hit. Prices continue to fluctuate but on the bright side, gold is one of the only commodities to post a gain year-on-year as the rest of the markets deepen into recession.

APMEX would like to thank all of our customers throughout 2008 and look forward to serving them in 2009. 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 APMEX.com.


Gold:
Spot Gold prices opened this week at $876.20. The high during the week was on Monday December 29th at $890.60, while the low for the week occurred on Tuesday December 30th at $864.70. Gold ended the week up at $878.20. This week, 2009 1 oz Gold American Eagles, 2009 1 oz Gold Maples and 1 oz and fractional gold bars were all in high demand.

Silver:
Spot Silver prices opened last week at $11.06. Active trading pushed spot silver to a high of $11.69 on Friday January 2, 2009. The low for silver also occurred on Tuesday December 30th at $10.78. Silver ended the week up at $11.69. 1 oz Silver Buffalo Rounds, 2009 Silver Maple Leafs , 1 and 10 oz APMEX Silver Bars and 2009 Silver American Eagles were fast movers on the APMEX website..

Platinum:
Spot Platinum prices opened last week at $900.00, but ended the week up at $958.50 Investors were eager to purchase Platinum, though the scarce supply made it difficult to acquire this metal.

Palladium:
Spot Palladium prices opened this week at $178.00, but ended the week up at $199.15. Palladium products continue to be in great demand and very hard to come by.

Numismatics:
The New Year has begun and dealers from across the country are getting on airplanes and heading to sunny and warm Florida for the annual F. U. N. Show (Florida United Numismatists). Given that the FUN show is the first show of the New Year, it is a bellwether show that portends either a positive or a negative trend in the numismatic marketplace.

Many dealers are looking to this year’s show to continue the strong market that began in mid-2008. Gold prices remained strong throughout the end of 2008 and silver dollars were also strong. Will that trend continue? Will commemorative coins awaken from their slumber to start moving upward? Will proof and mint sets see renewed interest? Will already hot Lincoln cents get even hotter with the advent of the 4 new reverse designs? Only time will tell, but next week’s report from the FUN show will tell us a great deal about what we can look forward to in 2009!