Gold and silver prices today, Wednesday, April 22: Prices open at their lowest levels in a week

Gold (GC=F) June futures opened astatine $4,738.70 per troy ounce connected Wednesday, up 0.4% from Tuesday’s closing terms of $4,719.60. The golden terms astatine today’s unfastened is astatine its lowest level since April 13. The golden terms was $4,774.50 arsenic of 6:43 a.m. ET.

Silver May (SI=F) futures opened astatine $76.84 per ounce connected Wednesday, 0.5% higher than Tuesday’s closing terms of $76.49. The metallic terms contiguous is the lowest opening terms since April 14. The metallic terms contiguous was $78.03 arsenic of 6:43 a.m. ET.

President Trump announced an indefinite hold to the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but bid talks inactive don’t look to beryllium progressing. A wind-down of the U.S.-Iran struggle does not destruct each economical concerns, however. The harm to Middle East lipid infrastructure and Iran’s propulsion to power the Strait of Hormuz volition proceed to negatively power the planetary lipid supply.

While prices connected Brent crude lipid futures (BZ=F) look to beryllium easing somewhat this morning, continued ostentation concerns are keeping golden prices astatine bay, arsenic marketplace observers inactive expect the Fed to support involvement rates astatine existent levels pursuing its upcoming meeting.

In the meantime, safe-haven and cardinal slope request person kept golden prices from falling further.

The opening terms of golden futures connected Wednesday was 0.4% higher than Tuesday’s close. Here’s however the opening golden terms has changed versus past week, month, and year: 

• One week ago: -2.2%

• One period ago: +1.1%

• One twelvemonth ago: +38.5%

On Jan. 29, gold’s one-year summation was 95.6%. This morning’s year-over-year gains for golden haven’t been this debased since August 2025.

24/7 golden terms tracking: Don't hide you tin show the existent terms of golden connected Yahoo Finance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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The opening terms of metallic futures connected Wednesday was 0.5% higher than Tuesday’s close. Here’s however the opening metallic terms has changed versus past week, month, and year: 

• One week ago: -4.2%

• One period ago: +6.8%

• One twelvemonth ago: +133.7%

Learn more: How to put successful silver: A beginner’s guide

There are antithetic ways to put successful gold, and each has pros and cons. Four communal options are:

1. Physical gold

2. Gold mining stocks

3. Gold ETFs

4. Gold futures

Physical golden includes jewelry, golden bars, and golden coins. Some similar carnal golden implicit different forms due to the fact that it’s tangible and casual to purchase. You tin easy bargain a golden necklace astatine the promenade oregon golden bars astatine Costco (COST).

Intrigued by Costco's precious metals offering? Read much here to larn cardinal considerations for precious metals investing, the details of the Costco selection, and tips for managing your caller investment.

Physical golden pros and cons

 The advantages of carnal golden include:

1. Readily accessible for use: If you support your carnal golden astatine home, it is easy disposable to usage arsenic a mean of speech successful an economical emergency.

2. No added volatility oregon ongoing fees: If you clasp the golden yourself, “you destruct counterparty hazard and retention fees oregon disbursal ratios,” explained Brett Elliott, manager of contented and SEO astatine American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX). You besides debar the added concern volatility associated with golden mining stocks, arsenic explained below.

Learn more: Take a deeper dive into the golden sector

The disadvantages of carnal golden include:

1. Risk of theft oregon loss: Physical golden indispensable beryllium decently secured. You tin store it astatine location for free, oregon put successful third-party retention and insurance. Remember that fees associated with retention oregon security dilute your returns.

2. Lower liquidity: Physical golden is little liquid — that is, harder to merchantability rapidly — than stocks oregon ETFs. Also, if you are not utilizing the golden arsenic a mean of exchange, you indispensable find a trader and wage a markup connected the sale.

Learn more: How to put successful golden successful 4 steps

Gold mining stocks are equity positions successful golden miners. They tin beryllium volatile due to the fact that their profits are tied to golden prices, positive these companies are heavy exposed to “geopolitical risks and absorption risks” according to Vince Stanzione, CEO and laminitis astatine fiscal steadfast First Information. To negociate the volatility, galore investors similar diversified golden mining funds implicit idiosyncratic mining stocks.

Gold mining stocks pros and cons

The advantages of golden mining stocks include:

1. Greater liquidity: Large-cap golden mining stocks similar Barrick Gold Corporation (B) and Franco-Nevada Corporation (FNV) mostly bask a constrictive bid-ask spread, which is simply a motion of liquidity. The bid-ask dispersed is the quality betwixt what buyers volition wage and what sellers volition accept.

2. No retention requirements: Stocks unrecorded successful your brokerage relationship and bash not devour carnal space. In mean times, this is an advantage. In an economical catastrophe, this could beryllium a disadvantage if brokers oregon the banal marketplace are temporarily unopen down.

Learn more: The apical performing companies successful the golden industry

The disadvantages of owning golden mining stocks include:

1. Greater volatility: “Gold investing done golden mining companies adds different furniture of risk,” explained Thomas Winmill, portfolio manager astatine communal money institution Midas Funds. From 2000 to 2020, golden mining stocks person risen and fallen faster than golden spot prices. In caller years, golden mining stocks person trended down arsenic golden spot prices person gained value.

2. No inferior arsenic a mean of exchange: Gold mining stocks tin appreciate, but they person nary nonstop inferior arsenic a mean of exchange.

Learn more: Who decides what golden is worth? How golden prices are determined.

Gold ETFs are funds that way the terms of gold. They tin put successful carnal golden stores, golden mining stocks, golden futures, oregon immoderate operation of these. The largest golden ETF successful presumption of full assets is SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), which is backed by carnal golden stored successful vaults.

Gold ETFs pros and cons

The advantages of Gold ETFs include:

1. Easy to store: Like golden mining stocks, ETF shares are integer assets with nary retention requirements.

2. Greater liquidity: Shares of the astir fashionable golden ETFs, similar SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU), are heavy traded. Steady request makes them casual to sell.

3. Tied straight to golden prices: ETFs backed by carnal golden way the spot terms of gold, which is usually little volatile than golden mining stocks oregon golden mining ETFs.

Learn more: Gold IRA: Benefits, risks, and however it differs from a accepted IRA

The disadvantages of golden ETFs include:

1. Fund fees: Funds complaint fees, which dilute returns implicit time. For context, the disbursal ratio of SPDR Gold Shares is 0.40%. This translates to $4 successful fees annually for each $1,000 invested.

2. No inferior arsenic a mean of exchange: As with golden mining stocks, you astir apt cannot usage ETF shares to commercialized for nutrient successful an economical emergency.

Gold futures are standardized contracts to acquisition golden connected a aboriginal day astatine a circumstantial price. The contracts often correspond 100 troy ounces. According to Stanzione, among golden investing options, golden futures transportation “the highest hazard and are champion near to nonrecreational traders.”

Learn more: Gold alternatives? How to put successful silver, platinum, and palladium.

Gold futures pros and cons

The advantages of golden futures are: 

1. Leverage: You tin power a ample magnitude of golden with a debased superior outlay.

2. Convenience: You don’t request to store carnal golden to gain from its terms changes.

The disadvantages of investing successful golden futures are: 

1. Risk: Leverage amplifies gains and losses. This is ever risky, but particularly truthful with an unpredictable plus similar gold.

2. Complexity: The complexity of futures contracts tin beryllium off-putting to galore retail investors.

Learn more: Thinking of buying gold? Here's what investors should ticker for.

Whether you’re tracking the terms of golden and metallic since past period oregon past year, the price-of-gold and price-of-silver charts beneath amusement the precious metals’ worth travel truthful acold this year.

More metallic sum from the Yahoo Finance team: 

• Silver terms volatility: What to cognize and however to put successful 2026

• Silver vs. gold: Which metallic made investors much wealth successful the past 50 years?

• ​​Gold alternatives? How to put successful silver, platinum, and palladium.

• Why is metallic outperforming gold? What to cognize earlier you invest.

• 3 predictions astir metallic prices successful the adjacent decade

• How to put successful metallic successful 5 steps