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Gold prices today, Monday, October 12, 2026: Gold opens at the highest point in over a week Tim Manni · Mon, October 12, 2026 at 7:01 AM EDT 3 min read Gold (GC=F) December futures opened at $4,220.80 per troy ounce on Monday, October 12, 2026, up 2.3% from Friday's closing price. Gold is moving back some this morning to $4,204.20 per troy ounce as of 6:45 a.m. ET.
Gold prices opened in the $4,200 range this morning, something we didn't observe last week, but prices appear to be sliding back some in early trading.
With no economic data slated for release today, investors are weighing earnings reports set to be released later this week, with some of the nation's largest banks first in line to report. In addition, the AI bubble continues to grow, and inflation remains top of mind as Middle East conflict over the weekend has Brent crude (BZ=F) prices above $105 a barrel this morning.
Expectations for future rate increases remain about the same as last week, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, so gold prices continue to hang in a range that is more wait-and-see than strongly trending in one direction or another.
Gold futures opened up 2.3% on Monday, October 12, 2026, from Friday's close. Here's a look at how the opening gold price has changed versus last week, month, and year:
One year ago: +5.8% (fourth lowest YOY gain since we began this daily series)
For context, gold's one-year gain 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:
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.
Go deeper with AlphaSpace 4,196.10 -20.20 (-0.48%) As of 7:21:34 AM EDT. Market Open. Read More Who decides what gold is worth? How gold prices are determined. 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.
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