What a Month! Gold Up Nearly 11 Percent and Silver Up 19 Percent

Silver has done even better. It started the month at $27.92 and it ended the month at $33.25 that's a 19 percent gain. Platinum has rose 12.9 percent since Jan. 1, and palladium is up 4.6 percent in the same period.

All in all it's been a great month to be invested in precious metals.

Shares of companies that mine precious metals have also gained this month ... but often not as much as the prices of the metals themselves. Barrick Gold ... the world's largest gold miner ... is up about nine percent since the start of the year.  Goldcorp is up 9.7 percent ... and Newmont Mining is up 2.6 percent.

Among silver mining companies Tahoe Resources has gained 17.4 percent this month ... Pan American Silver rose 5.3 percent ... and Coeur d'Alene Mines climbed 15.2 percent since the start of the year.

There have been lots of things driving precious metals in the last few weeks. The concerns about a Greek default or even a Portugese default have motivated investors who see gold as a safe haven. The Federal Reserve's announcement last week that it intends to keep super-low interest rates through most of 2014 also gave a powerful lift to gold. The continued strength of the euro has helped gold. That's because a strong euro means a weaker dollar and that ... in turn ... makes gold less expensive for people who use non-U.S. currencies.

Gold for April delivery rose $6 to $1,740.40... while spot gold fell $3.95 to $1,740.95.

Silver for March delivery fell 27 cents to $33.26, while spot silver added four cents to $33.25.