Gold Holds As Investors Weigh China, Iran Relations
Gold Price Today, Wednesday, September 23, 2026: Gold Holds As Investors Weigh China, Iran Relations
Tim Manni · Wed, September 23, 2026 Gold (GC=F) December futures opened at $4,394.70 per troy ounce on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, up 0.4% from Tuesday's close. Gold moved lower in early trading this morning to $4,352 per troy ounce as of 6:51 a.m. ET.
Gold prices have settled back in the $4,300 range again as investors weigh the latest developments in Iran relations and as President Trump welcomes Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Washington today. This week's U.S.-China summit marks the first time in 11 years the Chinese President has been to Washington, D.C.
Many important issues are on the table for the two world leaders to discuss this week, including trade negotiations, rare earths, AI, and the war in Iran.
Hopes for easing tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been lifted after the two countries met for several hours at the United Nations yesterday, with oil prices responding in kind. Brent crude oil prices (BZ=F) are now down to under $96 a barrel, a 9.98% decline over the last five days.
Live updates: Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures muted as oil falls, markets eye looming Trump-Xi meeting
Current Price Of Gold
Gold futures opened flat on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, compared to Tuesday's close. Here's a look at how the opening gold price has changed versus last week, month, and year:
One week ago: +1.4%
One month ago: -4%
One year ago: +16.2%
For context, the one-year gain for gold was 95.6% on Jan. 29.
24/7 gold price tracking: Don't forget you can monitor the current price of gold on Yahoo Finance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Want to learn more about the current top-performing companies in the gold industry? Explore a list of the top-performing companies in the gold industry using the Yahoo Finance Screener. You can create your own screeners with over 150 different screening criteria.
Considering A Gold Alternative?
If you're looking for a gold alternative, Yahoo Finance also tracks the daily price of silver (SI=F) and the daily price of bitcoin (BTC-USD) and ethereum (ETH-USD).
Ways To Invest In Gold
There are different ways to invest in gold, and each has pros and cons. Four common options are:
Physical gold
Gold mining stocks
Gold ETFs
Gold futures
Physical gold
Physical gold includes jewelry, gold bars, and gold coins. Some prefer physical gold over other forms because it's tangible and easy to purchase. You can easily buy a gold necklace at the mall or gold bars at Costco (COST).
Physical Gold Pros And Cons
The Advantages Of Physical Gold Include:
Readily accessible for use: If you keep your physical gold at home, it is easily available to use as a medium of exchange in an economic emergency.
No added volatility or ongoing fees: If you hold the gold yourself, "you eliminate counterparty risk and storage fees or expense ratios," explained Brett Elliott, director of content and SEO at American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX). You also avoid the added business volatility associated with gold mining stocks, as explained below.
Learn more: Take a deeper dive into the gold sector
The Disadvantages Of Physical Gold Include:
Risk of theft or loss: Physical gold must be properly secured. You can store it at home for free, or invest in third-party storage and insurance. Remember that fees associated with storage or insurance dilute your returns.
Lower liquidity: Physical gold is less liquid — that is, harder to sell quickly — than stocks or ETFs. Also, if you are not using the gold as a medium of exchange, you must find a dealer and pay a markup on the sale.