Gold (GC=F) June futures opened at $4,764.90 per troy ounce on Monday, 2.4% lower than Friday’s closing price of $4,879.60. Gold rebounded in early trading, rising to $4,818.40 by 6:35 a.m. ET.
Silver (SI=F) May futures opened at $79.49 per ounce on Monday, 2.9% lower than Friday’s closing price of $81.84. The price of silver was little changed in early trading, edging up to $79.52 by 6:35 a.m. ET.
The gold price today started a bit volatile as markets start the week reacting to escalating U.S.–Iran tensions, with safe-haven demand supporting an early price rebound even as inflation risks complicate the interest-rate outlook in the weeks and months ahead.
The price of silver today is more stable, clinging to a tight range close to $80 an ounce.
Unfortunately, the geo-political situation in Iran isn’t too far off from where we started last week. Last weekend, President Trump ordered a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks with Iran collapsed. This weekend, after peace talks seemed to be advancing on Friday, the U.S. seized and apparently damaged an Iranian ship yesterday. Escalating tensions in the Middle East continue to keep traders on edge, with inflationary pressures squarely back on oil prices.
The opening price of gold futures on Monday was 2.4% lower than Friday’s close. Here’s a look at how the opening gold price has changed versus last week, month, and year:
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One week ago: +1.3%
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One month ago: +1.7%
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One year ago: +42.4%
The one-year gain for gold was 95.6% on Jan. 29.
24/7 gold price tracking: Don’t forget you can monitor the current price of gold on Yahoo Finance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Want to learn more about the current top-performing companies in the gold industry? Explore a list of the top-performing companies in the gold industry using the Yahoo Finance Screener. You can create your own screeners with over 150 different screening criteria.
The opening price of silver futures on Monday was down 2.9% from Friday’s close. Here’s how the opening silver price has changed versus last week, month, and year:
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One week ago: +9.2%
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One month ago: +10.5%
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One year ago: +145.8%
Learn more: How to invest in silver: A beginner’s guide
The price of gold can be quoted in multiple forms because the precious metal is traded in different ways. The two main gold prices investors should know about are spot prices and gold futures prices.
Learn more: How to invest in gold in 4 steps
The spot price of gold is the current market price per ounce for physical gold as a raw material, sometimes called spot gold. Gold ETFs that are backed by physical gold assets generally track the gold spot price.
The spot price is lower than what you’d pay to buy gold coins, bullion, or jewelry, since your total price will include a markup called the gold premium that covers refining, marketing, dealer overhead, and profits. The spot price is more like a wholesale price, and the spot price plus the gold premium is the retail price.
Learn more: Thinking of buying gold? Here’s what investors should watch for.
Gold futures are contracts that mandate a gold transaction at a specific price on a future date. These contracts are exchange-traded and more liquid than physical gold. They settle on the contract expiration date or earlier, either financially or via delivery. A financial cash settlement involves paying the contract’s profit or loss in cash. Delivery means the seller sends physical gold to the buyer for the contracted price.
Supply and demand determine gold spot prices and gold futures prices. Factors that influence gold supply and demand include:
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Geopolitical events
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Central bank buying trends
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Inflation
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Interest rates
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Mining production
Learn more: Who decides what gold is worth? How prices are determined.
Whether you’re tracking the price of gold and silver since last month or last year, the price of gold and silver charts below show the precious metals’ change in value.
More silver coverage from the Yahoo Finance team: