Metals Edge Higher; Other Commodities End Mixed

Metals futures rose broadly on Friday, and crop prices mostly rose. Crude oil edged higher.

Gold for August delivery rose $8.70 to $1,292.90 an ounce. September silver rose 7.10 cents to $19.46 an ounce. Copper for September rose 0.85 cents to $3.14 a pound. October platinum rose $16.40 to $1,431.20 an ounce. September palladium rose $2.25 to $749.75 an ounce.

The price of crude oil edged up a penny to close at $108.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil gained $2.10 a barrel this week, its fourth consecutive weekly gain.

Signs of an improving U.S. economy have helped push the price of oil to the highest level in 16 months. On Friday, oil rose to $109.32, the highest since March 1, 2012, before pulling back.

Other energy futures were mixed.

Wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to end at $3.12 a gallon, heating oil fell 1 cent to finish at $3.09 a gallon and natural gas fell 2 cents to end at $3.79 per 1,000 cubic feet.

September wheat rose 4 cents to $6.645 a bushel. November soybeans rose 8.25 cents to $12.74 a bushel. December corn was unchanged at $5.0075 a bushel.