Miners (IVN) (RGLD) (NXG) (TRE) (NCMGY) Pressured as Gold Prices Fall

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (NYSE:IVN), Royal Gold (Nasdaq:RGLD), Northgate Minerals (AMEX:NXG), Tanzanian Royalty Exploration (AMEX:TRE) and Newcrest Mining (OTC:NCMGY.PK) got hammered Thursday as gold and silver prices continue to plunge.

Gold for May delivery, the front-month contract, ended the trading session Thursday down $34, or 2.2 percent, at $1,480.90 per troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The silver contract for May delivery closed 8 percent lower, down $3.152, at $36.231 per troy ounce.

Since the Friday settlement price silver has plummeted 25 percent.

The U.S. dollar was also up, adding pressure to the two precious metals, as it gained 2 percent against the euro. That came largely from European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet who suggested there will no interest-rate boost in the near future.

Nothing has changed the underlying fundamentals for gold or silver though, and this is just a healthy correction before gold and silver prices begin moving up again.

As long as easy money policies continue by the Federal Reserve and interest rates remain near zero, there is nothing to stop gold and silver prices from continuing to rise.

Inflation, political unrest, sovereign debt crisis and the collapsing U.S. dollar will also play a major role over time for gold and silver prices.

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (NYSE:IVN) closed Thursday at $23.93, falling $1.03, or 4.13 percent.