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Gold prices today, Tuesday, August 18, 2026: Gold falters as U.S. Treasury yields rise

Gold (GC=F) December futures opened at $4,473.40 per troy ounce on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, nearly unchanged from Monday's close. As of 9:10 a.m. ET, gold was trading lower at $4,447.20 per troy ounce.

Rising Treasury yields are weighing on gold as peace talks with Iran show little progress. The 10-year Treasury benchmark (^TNX) stood at 4.72%, near a one-year high, after President Trump's son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner said Iran was unwilling to compromise on U.S. demands. On Tuesday, the British military said a vessel was struck by "an unknown projectile" in the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring continued violence in the region. President Trump later suggested on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz become a U.S. territory.

The U.S. and Iran had previously signed a 60-day memorandum of understanding to allow time for negotiations, but that agreement has now expired. With no clear resolution in place, market attention remains on how long elevated yields and geopolitical uncertainty persist, since higher-yielding Treasury securities can make holding non-yielding gold relatively less attractive.

Current price of gold

The opening price of gold futures on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, was flat versus Monday's close. Here is a look at how the opening gold price has changed compared with last week, last month and last year:

• One week ago: +1.5%
• One month ago: +12.5%
• One year ago: +34.2%

For context, the one-year gain for gold was 95.6% on Jan. 29.

You can monitor the current price of gold on Yahoo Finance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you want to learn more about leading companies in the gold industry, Yahoo Finance offers a screener with more than 150 screening criteria.

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

Risks and considerations for gold investors

Gold carries the same basic risk as any investment: investors can lose money. As with other assets, losses in gold can come in different forms. Understanding those outcomes is an important first step in managing risk.

According to gold experts, would-be investors should understand four key risks:

• Price
• Speculation
• Opportunity cost
• Fraud

Today, the focus is on price and speculation.

Learn more: How to invest in gold in 7 steps

Price risk

There is price risk for investors who buy gold when the metal is near record highs. "Buying high to hope for short-term higher is a tough strategy," said Darrell Fletcher, managing director of commodities at Bannockburn Capital Markets.

Even so, there are positive dynamics in play for the precious metal. Fletcher said gold is recovering from decades of low prices and is becoming an increasingly popular diversification asset for central banks and individual investors.

Appropriate expectations, a long time horizon and a suitable allocation can help limit price risk. "Gold should not be seen as a driver of supercharged returns — it's there to act primarily as a stabilizer in a diversified portfolio," said Alex Tsepaev, chief strategy officer of B2PRIME Group.

Yahoo Finance has tracked the historical price of gold since 2000 for readers interested in its long-term performance.

Speculation risk

Thomas Winmill, portfolio manager at Midas Funds, said investors should view positions in gold bullion, coins and ETFs as speculative. Gold is a commodity, and "commodity prices are dependent on macroeconomic, political, industrial, and financial factors that are unpredictable, and in some cases, unknowable."

Even after its recent performance, gold remains an unpredictable asset. Keeping that in mind when making trading decisions may help investors avoid overexposure and unrealistic expectations.

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

Price of gold chart

Whether you are tracking gold's move over the past month or the past year, the price chart below shows the metal's change in value.

(GC=F)

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