7 October 2106

 After a brief respite on Wednesday that lasted early into Thursday’s US session, precious metals staged an about-face, finishing lower yet again. Gold ended down some $15/ounce and has now dropped for eight straight days to end at a four-month low. A stronger dollar pressured the complex, as did stepped-up talk about rate increases that could set in as early as November, although the bulk of market participants are still banking on a December increase. Gold’s weakness spilled over into the rest of the precious group as well, with silver dropping a whopping 2.4% and nearly taking out the $17/ounce mark. Platinum and palladium each shed about 1.6%.