Gold futures for December delivery began trading at $4,580 per troy ounce on Thursday, August 20, 2026, marking a 0.8% increase from the previous session’s closing level. As of 9:03 a.m. ET, spot gold was trading at $4,535.80 per troy ounce.
Gold prices advanced Thursday morning following two major macroeconomic developments from the prior day. The U.S. Treasury Department announced plans to expand its purchases of long-term securities as part of routine balance sheet management. This move contributed to notable declines across the yield curve, with the 10-year Treasury note rate falling over 5 basis points and the 30-year bond yield dropping 9 basis points. Later, the Federal Reserve published the minutes from its July policy meeting, revealing growing support among policymakers for near-term rate adjustments.
Market participants largely interpreted the Treasury’s bond-buying initiative as supportive of non-yielding assets like gold, which often appeal during periods of declining interest rates. The expanded demand helped push gold above the key $4,500 threshold for the first time since early June. By reducing the opportunity cost of holding precious metals instead of interest-bearing investments, lower real yields continue to provide fundamental backing for higher gold valuations.
Current price of gold
The opening price of gold futures on Thursday, August 20, 2026 represented a 0.8% upward revision from Wednesday’s settlement value. Below is a summary of recent performance trends:
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One week ago: +4%
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One month ago: +14.4%
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One year ago: +38.3%
For additional perspective, gold had previously gained 95.6% over the trailing twelve-month period as of January 29.
Tracking live gold prices: You can access continuous updates on the current gold price through Yahoo Finance throughout the week.
Explore further: Discover leading firms in the gold mining sector via the Yahoo Finance stock screener tool, enabling customized filtering based on more than 150 financial metrics.
Gold IRA: What it is, how it works
Investors storing physical gold bars for long-term security may consider establishing a dedicated retirement account known as a gold IRA to potentially benefit from associated tax advantages while diversifying their savings strategy.
Further reading: Steps to building a gold investment portfolio
A gold individual retirement arrangement functions as a specialized type of self-directed IRA specifically structured to accommodate physical precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium—but subject to stringent quality and sourcing guidelines set forth by regulatory authorities.
Gold IRA vs. traditional IRA
The following outlines key distinctions between conventional retirement accounts and alternative structures designed for tangible asset allocation:
Regulatory compliance requirements
To qualify for favorable tax treatment under IRS regulations, sponsors managing gold IRAs must adhere to strict custodial standards:
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Secure storage: Physical precious metals included within qualified plans must be stored exclusively at depository institutions sanctioned by federal regulators.
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Approved commodities: Eligible holdings include specific denominations of gold coins or bullion meeting minimum fineness thresholds; similarly, silver bars and certain platinum products must conform to prescribed purity levels and originate from recognized refiners approved by the Internal Revenue Service.
Additional information: Comparing gold-backed retirement strategies
Price of gold chart
Whether analyzing short-term fluctuations or longer-term trajectory, interactive visual tools below illustrate the evolving market valuation of gold across various time horizons throughout 2026.