Gold and silver prices lost ground on Wednesday as investors booked profits after a historic annual rally and exchange operator CME Group hiked the margins on precious metal futures for the second time in the space of a week. Spot gold prices fell 0.8% to $4,313.59 per ounce at 7:50 a.m. ET, extending losses in the run-up to the new year. The yellow metal notched a one-week low in the previous session. Spot silver prices, meanwhile, tumbled 6.2% to $71.77 per ounce, paring gains after climbing above $80 for the first time at the start of the week. The moves come at the end of a blockbuster year for the precious ... (full story)