Gold prices rose again. Although gold fell to a one-week low amid uncertainty over interest rates after the strong US labor market, the precious metal rose on Friday (February 13) as investors remained cautious ahead of key US inflation data.
Investors are mainly waiting for important data on US inflation, and gold is rising at this time, increasing its price.
Spot gold prices rose 1.2 percent on Friday to $4,979.49 per ounce. So far this week, prices have risen 0.4 percent. On the other hand, US gold futures for delivery in April rose 1 percent to $4,998.30 per ounce.
Kyle Roda, senior market analyst at Capital.com, said that the high volatility in the market and a large psychological threshold of $5,000 are acting as important indicators for investors to determine their positions.
Earlier, after a big drop in the stock market on Thursday, gold prices fell about 3 percent to their lowest level in nearly a week and fell below $5,000 an ounce, Roda said. “Precious metals prices fell along with the equity market last night. There was no major macroeconomic stimulus behind it.”
According to data released on Wednesday local time, the US labor market is in a stronger position than expected at the beginning of 2026. This has strengthened the idea that policymakers may keep interest rates high for some time. As a result, there is also pressure on gold.
According to market estimates, two 25 basis point interest rate cuts are possible this year, the first of which is likely to happen next June. Generally, when interest rates are low, demand for interest-free gold increases.
Meanwhile, gold is being sold at a discount in India for the first time in a month as buying has slowed due to the ongoing price volatility. On the other hand, gold demand in the Chinese market is strong ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
In addition, spot silver prices rose 4.6 percent to $78.59 per ounce. Spot platinum prices rose 1.7 percent to $2,33.99 per ounce. Palladium prices rose 2.8 percent to $1,661.97 per ounce.