Call it sentiment. Call it mood, or a sixth sense. Sometimes traders and investors act out in strange and wondrous ways.

After the release of the Federal Reserve’s 12-district, July-August “Beige Book,” one might have expected a strong upward movement in gold and silver. That was not to be.

The dollar tumbled after a poor showing in data released by the Institute of Supply Management. The data reflected the slowest growth in six-plus years in the service sector.