Friday's opening price for gold (GC=F) futures was $4,489.30 per troy ounce, up 0.6% from Thursday's closing price of $4,460.70.
After the opening, the price of gold increased by 0.49%. There may be some short-term volatility in gold prices due to new labor statistics, a higher US currency, and index rebalancing activity.
A clearer picture of the job market will be provided by the U.S. employment data, which is expected later this morning. Although hiring is thought to have increased in December, analysts predict that unemployment will have only marginally decreased from 4.6% to 4.5%. The possibility of substantial interest rate decreases in 2026 is reduced by any improvement.
The price of gold has increased due to the recent strength of the US dollar. After declining more than 9% in 2025, the US Dollar Index (DX.Y.NYB) is up 0.8% this year.
Finally, gold prices could decline due to the yearly rebalancing of commodities indices. Passive tracking funds will lower their gold holdings in light of the 2025 gold rise in order to maintain their target allocations and account for index adjustments.
The opening price of gold futures on Friday was 0.6% more than the closing price on Thursday. Here is a comparison of the price of gold over the previous week, month, and year:
- A week prior: +3.2%
- A month prior: +7.1%
- A year prior: +68.2%
