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Understand how the gold price works.
The following gold price chart reflects the current spot price in the U.S. dollar.
Gold is priced in per troy ounce in the U.S. and per gram internationally.
The gold spot price is the standard used to determine the current market value of gold at any given moment.
The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and COMEX set the gold price per ounce for the paper precious metals market. This does not include the cost of physical delivery associated with a typical gold bar. Investors will always pay a premium above the live gold prices when buying coins or bars.
Gold Price FAQs
How is the gold spot price in USD determined?
Gold trades globally at multiple exchanges. The most important being in New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Zurich and London. The COMEX is the primary exchange for determining gold spot prices in dollars. It’s done by calculating futures contracts data.
What influences the gold price?
There are many different factors that can affect the gold price performance. Including supply and demand fundamentals, currency devaluation and geopolitical risks. Central banks monetary policies can also have a major impact on the value. And the performance of stock and bond markets as well.
How much gold is in a troy ounce?
A troy ounce weighs 31.10 grams. The unit of measure originated in Troyes, France in the Middle Ages. It’s currently used with gold and other precious metals.
Is a troy ounce different than a normal ounce?
Yes, a traditional ounce weighs 28.35 grams. A troy ounce, used exclusively in the precious metals industry is 31.10.
How many troy ounces are in a kilogram of gold?
A kilogram of gold contains 32.151 troy ounces.
Is it a good time to buy gold right now?
The decision to buy gold is a personal one. It can be effective at balancing a diversified portfolio. Especially in times of elevated economic risks and volatility. In the past gold has done well when paper currencies drop in value. It can also perform well when stocks, bonds and real estate fall. The idea is that gold and silver, rise inverse to other assets that are falling.
Will gold prices fall?
No one can say for certain what the gold price will do in the future. But typically when a currency falls in value, you need more of it to buy gold. And currency values all around the world are falling because of inflation. That’s bullish for gold. Yet, there are times when gold prices will fall, to “correct” themselves if they moved up too fast. Because nothing moves up in a straight line. So it’s important to have an outlook of at least a few years when you buy.
What is the all time high gold price?
The gold price reached an all time high of $2,069.40 in 2020.
What is gold bullion?
Gold bullion is a coin, bar or round that’s value is mostly derived from it’s metal content. Unlike collectible or numismatic coins that are more valuable because they are rare. Gold bullion ranges in purity from .999 to .99999 fine gold.
What is the “ask” price of gold?
The ask price represents the minimum offer to sell an item at that specific time.
What is the “bid” price of gold?
The bid price represents the maximum offer to buy an item at that specific time.
Why do gold coins and bars cost more than the spot price?
The live gold spot prices on the chart above represent the prevailing price of a .999 troy ounce on the COMEX . This is the paper price of gold and does include physical delivery.
This live gold price also does not factor in the mark-ups from the mints and manufacturers. Or the distributors and dealers who retail the gold products.
How do mints mark-up their products?
The U.S. Mint for example, buys gold bullion bars at live prices from suppliers on the open market at a mark-up above spot. Upon receipt they verify the bars hallmark, weight and purity.
They then send them to a vendor who will melt and alloy them to the fineness required. The vendor then ships universal blanks back to the Mint who again verifies the metal content.
The Mint then begins the production process. They strike the blanks, converting them into gold coins. Then they are individually inspected for quality. After passing, they are packaged into plastic tubes of 20, then a Monster Box.
The Mint then marks-up each gold coin and sells them to authorized dealers. Those dealers then mark-up the coins and either sells them to the public and/or wholesale to other gold dealers. Delivery and insurance is also factored in at each transfer of ownership.
What is a gold dealers buy/sell spread?
The majority of gold dealers set a buy and sell price for each item in their inventories. There is always a difference between what gold dealers will sell you an item for, and are willing to buy it back for. Even if the gold prices have not moved. This price difference is the buy/sell spread. This profit is what enables companies to remain in business.
Do all gold dealers set a buy/sell spread for the gold coins they’re selling?
No! In fact, the Certified Gold Exchange does not set prices for any item. We are not a market maker. CGE is a market beater. Investors can get the current value of gold coins from any qualified gold dealer and bring us their quotes. We will then beat their current price on both sides of the transaction. See the details of our Price Match Plus Guarantee here.
What physical gold can I buy closest to the spot price?
The following gold bullion items can be purchased closest to the spot prices:
- Gold Bullion Bars
- Gold Bullion Coins
The larger the gold bars, the smaller the premium above spot prices you’ll normally pay. For example, 1 kilo gold bars will likely have a premium less per ounce than a one ounce gold bar.
Gold coins with collector value carry premiums above bullion products. Because of the limited quantities available of those items the purchase price is higher.
How do I buy physical gold?
You can buy physical gold by simply calling us at (800) 300-0715. You then choose the gold products you would like to buy and we perform our Price Match Plus Guarantee. This ensures you get the best purchase price available with us.
Upon agreement, we email you a confirmation of your order and wiring instructions. Once you fund your account, we will typically ship your product within 72 hours. Upon taking delivery you confirm you’ve received your precious metals safe and sound.
How do I buy physical gold in my IRA?
If you have already a Self Directed IRA that allows you to hold precious metals, call us at (800) 300-0715. We’ll help you to create a portfolio and complete the paperwork to make a purchase.
If you don’t have a Self Directed IRA yet you will need to establish one. You’ll then fund it by transferring funds from your existing retirement account. Once that’s complete you can purchase metal for your account. The Certified Gold Exchange can help with the complete process.
Please visit our Gold IRA Rollover page, “19 Essential Facts to Know Before You Invest” for more details.
How do I liquidate gold?
Call the Certified Gold Exchange at (800) 300-0715. Request the current value for your gold today. We will perform our Price Match Plus Guarantee. Ensuring you receive our high buyback available on that given day. Once agreed upon we will send you instructions on how to package up and ship your gold to one of our depositories. Upon receipt and inspection we will typically wire the proceeds to you within 48 hours.
How do I liquidate gold in my IRA?
Call us at (800) 300-0715 and request a buyback quote. We will perform our Price Match Plus Guarantee and send you the results. Upon agreement, we will send you documents to sign that will allow us to buy your metal. It will then be moved from your account at the depository to ours. At which point we will wire the proceeds to your account at the custodian.
Please visit our “How to Sell a Gold IRA” page for more details.
Is it better for me to buy from a local coin shop?
The physical precious metals industry is very competitive. Online dealers have some advantages to local coins shops. Online gold dealers have a much larger clientele. This enables them to offer lower prices. They will also usually have a much larger selection of gold and silver items.
What is the gold silver ratio?
The gold silver ratio reflects the relationship of the gold price per ounce to the silver price. Or in other words, how many ounces of silver it takes to buy an ounce of gold.
Investors often use historical data of the gold silver ratio to determine which one is under valued.
For example, a gold to silver ratio of 80, would imply that the silver price is undervalued compared to gold prices. Whereas a gold silver ratio of 40, would imply the gold price is undervalued compared to the silver price.
Do the silver price and gold price move up and down together?
Historically, both gold and silver have moved up and down in tandem. Gold prices tend to move up first, and after a short lag, silver catches up. According to historical data silver bullion outperforms gold in a bull market.
Besides the gold price per ounce, what else is important to consider when buying gold?
Choosing a reputable gold dealer with a long term track record is the most important factor.
It’s also important to have a safe place to store your metal before buying. Most gold investors either store their metal in a safe at home, or a third party, insured depository.
Are gold certificates a good investment?
Gold certificates can also refer to an Exchange Traded Fund or ETF. An ETF allows you to gain exposure to the gold price performance. But you don’t own any physical metal. ETF’s can be convenient because most brokerage accounts offer them. And because it’s not a physical product, the fees can also be less.
Gold certificates can be good for short term investing. If you only want to take advantage of the gold price movement. But many people think, “If you can’t hold it, you don’t own it” and will typically prefer physical precious metals to a paper product.
What is a gold futures contract?
A gold futures contract is an agreement to sell or buy gold at a specific price at a certain time in the future. For example, if you buy a December 2023 gold futures contract. You would then have the right to take delivery of 100 troy ounces at that time.
What are gold stocks?
Gold stocks refer to stocks in gold mining companies. Investing in gold mining companies can be a lot more risky than owning gold outright. Because you’re investing in a company and a team of people. If you invest in well run, profitable gold mining companies they can do very well when gold prices are on the rise.
Besides COMEX and LBMA what other exchanges set gold & silver bullion prices?
World gold prices are set by different exchanges in their respective countries. This includes, the Shanghai Gold Exchange, Moscow Exchange , Borsa Istanbul, Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange, ICE Futures, Bursa Malaysia and the Tokyo Commodity Exchange. Each of these exchanges sets the current price of gold and silver in their own currency per troy ounce or gram. They all provide gold price charts in their own currency.
What is the World Gold Council?
The World Gold Council is a non-profit association of the worlds largest gold mining companies. They help to develop the gold market. They publish research about current and historical gold prices and the factors that led to them. The World Gold Council launched the SPDR Gold Shares ETF.
My first order of business was to find a dealer that I could trust. After considerable research, Certified Gold Exchange was at the top of my list. When I contacted CGE, I was introduced to Pat Collins. From our first discussion, Pat clearly understood the situation and developed a plan.
Long story short, Pat earned my trust with his friendly demeanor, patience, and metals experience. I'll be calling CGE and Pat for my next transaction. Many thanks Pat!
From the beginning of contacting Patrick Collins the process was efficient and professional. Pat provided regular communication and helped me at every step. The length of time from start to finish was much quicker than I was expecting thanks to CGE.
I want to thank Pat and his team at Certified Gold Exchange for a smooth and efficient transaction.
being new to selling metals, Patrick walked me step by step in the process through distributions with my IRA. Whenever I contacted him with questions or concerns, he replied within an hour or minutes to resolve my percieved issues. What a comfort Patrick has been in this (at times) somewhat stressful process.
Thank you Patrick!
It was my first time selling precious metals and they made the process as seamless as possible, despite multiple hiccups caused by my chosen custodian failing miserably. I will choose this team for every precious metals purchase or sale in my future.
I decided to invest $60k and in just three months it's over $120k! Not only that, the team at Certified Gold Exchange has excellent customer service.
I highly recommend them.
When I spoke with coin dealer David White, he was able to give me a quote in 3.5 hours. He also explained the importance of shipping my coins via registered mail with the Post Office. David said that the Post Office requires a registered box to be sealed with brown paper tape to prevent tampering. David emailed me links to sites that showed the right tape to use and how to seal the box. He called several UPS stores in my neighborhood to try to find the tape for me. In the end, I bought the tape from the Post Office. David explained that while Fedex and UPS would ship the coins, since they are not allowed to ship gold or silver, I would have no recourse if my coins were lost. David even gave me his home number so I could reach him after hours if necessary.
My experience with Certified Gold Exchange, Inc. stands in stark contrast with how two other coin brokers responded. The firm from which I had bought most of my silver coins never called me back. On November 13 when I called the broker from whom I had bought most of my gold coins, I couldn't get through on the phone. So, I emailed them and it took 5 days for them to respond! The broker didn't give me a quote until December 2 -- and then only for some of the coins! He said he would tell me what they would pay for the other coins after I shipped them!
In addition, that broker explained that one of their customers had lost all their coins valued at $22,000 because the box was tampered with and they had failed to insure them for the full amount. However, I knew by then that if the firm had told the customer to ship the coins via registered mail as Certified Gold Exchange, Inc. does, the box could not have been tampered with.
So, Certified Gold Exchange, Inc. is the only gold and silver dealer I recommend. The level of service is truly remarkable.
Your interest in helping me on such short notice shows how much you care for your clients. I hope 🤞 to have you as one of my financial team in the future.
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