Gold Spot Price in United States Dollar (USD) $

How is the Gold price calculated?

Gold and silver are primarily traded during regular business hours. The COMEX, similar to the NASDQ, does not have trading activity on the weekends or holidays. Gold ounce price is released two times a day by the London Bullion Market Association (LMBA). The first at 10:30AM and the second at 3:00PM London Time. Online gold and silver dealers with ecommerce websites automatically have their prices change every 30 seconds, sometimes more frequently. Many use a real-time market update software system gathered from APIs using multiple sourced feeds which combines spot and premium prices based on a percentage. What is the price of gold today? See the charts above for the gold spot price today.

Why is the cost of Gold more than the spot price?

The cost incurred on your credit card or bank transfer is calculated and locked in right before you check out of the shopping cart. This price includes spot, face value, and premiums. Premiums can vary widely. A temporarily abandoned shopping cart will continue to change the final price if the transaction has been completed within a given period of time. Spot gold price is most often represented in troy ounces or per gram. How much is gold per ounce? See the gold price charts above.

What variables make up the Gold spot price?

Paper and physical markets are two separate markets, however they do have an affect on one another. Paper markets have what are called futures contracts which are bets on gold either going up or down. However, physical gold does not exchange hands. Physical markets can be affected by supply and demand, central bank holdings, psychology, the strength of the dollar as well as other global factors. News cycles can spur perceived optimism and pessimism which can be factors in day to day gold value changes. What’s the price of gold today? See the live gold price chart above.

How often is the Gold price adjusted?

Gold and silver is officially paused and readjusted everyday between 4PM-5PM Central Standard Time (5PM – 6PM Eastern Standard Time). There is a board of directors, central bank officials, high ranked officials that choose the given price based on a number of factors.

What is the spot Gold price versus final price?

In ancient times there was a literal marketplace, a bazaar if you will. In those times there was not shipping and handling, premiums, etc. In order to conduct business nationally and internationally several parties get a piece of the pie in a transaction. There are originators, wholesalers, and retailers which all get a piece.

What goes into the retail price of Gold?

A retailer has advertising and merchandizing costs and the premiums can be based on marketplace demand. Although there are thousands of retailers in the United States there are only 13 companies that are able to buy wholesale directly from the US mint. Thus, online dealers that you may encounter with a Google search, must charge retail prices that include supply chain upcharges added to the current gold price per ounce. The 13 wholesalers that are able to buy direct from the US mint by law do not sell to the public.

Are spot Gold prices per ounce the exact same all over the globe?

No. Foreign currency purchasing power and perceived value fluctuates daily and often more than once a day. Similar to the value factors of gold currencies have their own factors and more. The difference between currencies and precious metals is that currencies can be printed indefinitely without certain oversight such as in the United States of America (USA). However, gold takes human and machine energy, mining, blood, sweat, tears, even life to procure, refine, and put in your hands. Access to mines and the quality of the refining process varies greatly from country to country. Precious metals and foreign exchange rates (FX) increase and decrease daily. For those that can rapidly travel and recognize arbitrage opportunities for buying and selling gold, they do exist in other countries.

Why can’t I purchase Gold at the spot Gold prices shown?

Final cost from sellers and retailers include their culminated business costs. These costs can include, but are not limited to: building rental space, warehouse and storage fees, employees, security personnel, advertising, photography, copywriting, website creation, hosting and maintenance, data feed costs, and finally any marginal profit. Retailers invest years in finding and connecting with wholesalers and suppliers in which they source products. Buying in bulk allows them to obtain products at a certain price point. In conclusion, margins are small but charging above the spot price is how they create a profit.

What is the bid versus ask price?

The bid price is what the retailers pay on average to procure the product. The ask price is the market retail price on average that the buyers pay per ounce. Often you will see these two prices on a real-time ticker running throughout an online retailers website.

Is Gold considered volatile compared to other investments?

No. There are many other traditional asset classes in which investors choose to invest. Such as: real estate, stocks, bonds, and crypto currencies. Similar to those other traditional asset classes precious metal prices run in bull and bear cycle markets. In a bull market scenario, the price changes daily and over a 7-10 year period of time the trend is notably upward. In a bear market scenario, the price changes daily and over a 7-10 year period of time the trend is notably downward. There are three times in the last 40 years (1980, 2011, and 2020) where gold hit an all time high. Silver is typically correlated to gold price. In order to obtain an ideal portfolio based on the Modern Portfolio Theory it is wise a share of uncorrelated asset classes in your holdings. In the last ten years you can observe the gold price history. See charts above.

What is the Gold/Silver ratio, and why does it matter?

Knowing and understanding the correlation between gold and silver prices can help a buyer to know when to buy and predict a lucrative time to sell. From a natural law perspective it could be looked at that the gold/silver ratio was the amount that is on the earth, 1:10. Regardless, economically, it has historically been 1:15. Every one once of gold could have been equated to 15 ounces of silver in value.
Having a ratio that is much higher than the historical or natural ratio is just an indication, a directional flag, that something is off. Silver is undervalued compared to gold. From 1900-2020 there has been dozens of changes such as: divorce of the gold backed dollar, laws written and undone, printing of greenbacks, and other distortions of the natural order of the economic law. As of this writing the ratio of gold to silver is 1:79.

Is the buying/selling of tangible Gold taxed?

Yes. Every state has different tax laws and purchase thresholds in buying/selling gold. However, when selling gold or silver at certain levels there is federal capital gains tax to take into account. Check into your local laws for specifics.

In what increments is Gold bought/sold?

Typically, investment grade gold is sold in one ounce, five ounce, 10 ounce, and 100 ounce increments. One can also buy 400 ounce bars from the COMEX. Gold bars that are 400 ounces is also how central banks trade holdings. How much is an ounce of gold? It changes daily, actually multiple times a day Fortunately you are not limited to buying gold by the ounce. One can also buy gold by the gram from specific mints, dealers, and retailers. However, from time to time you may find more obscure portions such as: hand poured objects, statues, art, and jewelry.

How do I get the most metal in Gold ounces for my money?

Bulk buying will yield the biggest discount available in buying gold. Items that are backed by the US government, such as one ounce gold coins, are often considered more liquid because they have a face value and are guaranteed, thus, will cost a little more. If you want to pay a lesser premium you may consider gold rounds that don’t hold a face value, or bars without a well-known brand name.

Does the government mandated face value of bullion coins cost more?

Yes. When there is an enforceable face value, it is guaranteed. The Constitution requires that the government mints legally enforceable gold and silver currency of some sort. Although it would not be wise to transact in everyday purchases such as groceries, because the intrinsic or market value often far outweighs the face value.

What are Gold rounds?

Although gold rounds can appear quite similar to gold coins, there is a distinct difference. Coins are legal tender. They have an enforceable face value. Rounds do not. Rounds may have the same weight and structure, but the transactional value is decided by the two parties transacting. Often, they are sold by dealers and retailers based on price per ounce plus a premium, but do not include a face value in the final price. While coins literally an act of congress to execute a design, rounds can be created on the fly using an infinite number of designs using an artist’s imagination.

Does the size of the bar affect the additional premium price?

Yes. The largest commercially available gold bar is 400 ounces. A good rule of thumb is that the more gold in one unit the lower the premium. Another rule of thumb is the more gold in a single transaction with multiple units the mower the premium, AKA buying in bulk. For example, many gold retailers or dealers will give you a price break at 10 or more units in one transaction. They may also give you deeper price break at 100 units.

Are price premiums a flat rate or fixed percentage over spot?

Fixed percentage over spot. Often a dealer may choose a five, 10 or 15 percent premium. This premium can be automatically added to the spot rate which changes throughout the day so he/she is not caught in a undesirable position with the possibility of losing money.

Can I get the same price by visiting a local coin shop that I can by buying Gold coins and bars through an online retailer?

Sometimes. Brick and mortar sellers must cover their own business costs which are higher than an online retailer usually. Thus, their margins may fluctuate and could be competitive with an online seller since the spot price is universal.

How can I secure my Gold price in a fast paced market?

By swiftly placing the item in the shopping cart and then completing the transaction with a purchase, a buyer can lock in the gold price on his/her coin, round, or bar. If one takes more time in contemplation he or she may lose out on the current price of gold. Conversely, it may be lower by the time they click the ‘buy now’ button. This is the risk the buyer and seller makes with every transaction.

Is there manipulation in the spot Gold price market?

Possibly. There are some researchers that would say this to be true. However, we will not speculate on this topic.

Where can I buy physical Gold?

Jewelry Stores
Independent Gold Buyers
Individuals
Local Coin Shops
Online Forums
Pawn Shops
Flea Markets
Online Retailers
Cash For Gold Locations

How much cash is required to buy Gold?

You can buy as little as a gram of gold. Although the gold price fluctuates frequently precious metals are the least costly investment asset class with no counterparty risk, AKA if you hold it you own it.