COMEX gold futures – per the December contract – rose $0.50 to $1,298.60 per ounce, a new all-time high on a closing basis.  Silver futures for December delivery continued their strong performance of late, climbing $0.34, or 1.7%, to $21.47 per ounce, the highest settlement for silver futures since 1980.

The gains in the precious metals sector came as the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) traded near the flatline for most of the day.  The euro currency, the largest component of the traded-weighted DXY, was higher by 0.03% at 1.3471 in afternoon trading.