Prices at a glance
Spot prices per troy ounce on October 19, 2026. Prices change throughout the trading day.
Gold: a pause after a long climb
Gold spent most of October between roughly $4,100 and $4,150 an ounce. That's about 3% below where it traded in mid-September, when it was near $4,290, and roughly flat compared with a year ago. The pullback follows a strong run since early 2025, when gold rose by more than a quarter on inflation worries and economic uncertainty.
For long-term savers, a month or two of sideways movement doesn't change much. Gold's role in a retirement portfolio is diversification over years, not short-term gains.
Silver: still volatile, still cheaper per ounce
Silver sat near $57.50 an ounce, with the gold-to-silver ratio a little above 70. Silver tends to move further than gold in both directions, so investors who hold it should expect bigger swings. Our silver IRA guide explains how it fits alongside gold.
Platinum and palladium
Platinum traded around $1,644 and palladium around $1,131, both well below gold. Each is driven largely by industrial and automotive demand, which makes them more sensitive to the economic cycle. See our guides to platinum and palladium IRAs for the details.
Our recommended provider's free kit explains how to roll over a 401(k) or IRA into physical gold and silver. Best fit if you have $50,000 or more to diversify.
Request the Free KitRetirement rules for 2026
A reminder of this year's limits, which apply to gold IRAs just like any other IRA:
- IRA contributions: up to $7,500, plus a $1,100 catch-up if you're 50 or older.
- 401(k) deferrals: up to $24,500, plus an $8,000 catch-up at 50+, or $11,250 for ages 60 to 63.
- Transfers and direct rollovers from existing accounts don't count toward these limits.
What we're watching
- Interest rate decisions, which affect the cost of holding a non-yielding asset like gold.
- Inflation readings and the dollar's direction.
- Central bank buying, a steady source of gold demand in recent years.
- Auto production and EV adoption for platinum and palladium.
Sources: spot prices from MetalCharts (October 19, 2026); gold month and year comparisons from Fortune's daily gold price report (October 15, 2026); 2026 contribution limits as announced by the IRS. This update is for education only and isn't a forecast or investment advice.