Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.

Gold (GC=F) December futures opened at $4,413 per troy ounce on Monday, September 21, 2026, down 0.3% from Friday's closing price. The price of gold is moving lower this morning at $4,394.80 per troy ounce as of 9:14 a.m. ET.

Gold prices opened at their highest level in over a week but are slipping this morning back into the range we saw last week amid ongoing tension in the Middle East.

Reports of recent attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on a Saudi Arabian oil pipeline and oil facility have kept global oil prices hanging around the $100-a-barrel mark, keeping energy prices elevated in the U.S. and globally.

The United Nations General Assembly this week shines an all-too-important light on the tensions in the Middle East. Gold investors would greatly benefit from the General Assembly helping to make inroads towards peace in the Middle East:

[U.N. Secretary-General António] Guterres told reporters last week that he will use his meetings with world leaders to push for de-escalation in the Middle East and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb waterway. He's also pushing for a ceasefire in Ukraine, well into the fifth year of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The opening price of gold futures on Monday, September 21, 2026, was down 0.3% from Friday's closing price. Here's a look at how the opening gold price has changed versus last week, month, and year:  

One week ago: +0.9%

One month ago: -3.6%

One year ago: +20%

For context, 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 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:

Geopolitical events

Central bank buying trends

Inflation 

Interest rates

Mining production

Learn more: Who decides what gold is worth? How prices are determined.

Whether you're tracking the price since last month or last year, the price of gold chart below shows the precious metal's change in value. 

How high will gold go in 2026? See live gold prices, expert predictions about gold performance, and learn whether gold will reach $6,000.

Gold prices have skyrocketed in recent years, but how high can they go next? Here are the boldest predictions for how gold will perform.

The two primary gold prices investors should know are spot prices and gold futures prices. Learn the difference, the historical price of gold, and the current dynamics.

If you had $1 million in 1900, you could buy 53,000 ounces of gold. Today, that amount would be worth $278 million. See how gold prices have changed over time.

Learn why gold is considered a safe-haven investment, how it performs during periods of economic volatility, and how it compares to other assets.

There are several ways to invest in gold. Which is best for you depends on your up-front investment and financial goals. Here are the top six ways to invest in gold.