At about the same time, the price of gold hit a new record just below $4,640 per ounce (31.1 grams).
The upward pressure on precious metals prices - which has persisted throughout the year - is being created, among other things, by investors who want to position themselves for potential market effects if the Trump administration moves forward with charges against Jerome Powell, the head of the US Federal Reserve (the Fed).
The criminal investigation into Powell has been described by critics as an attempt to pressure the Fed to provide more monetary stimulus in the form of interest rate cuts. Powell and many of his colleagues and analysts warn that this could damage the image of the Fed as an independent decision-maker on interest-rate policy.
