Live Spot Gold
Bid/Ask
5,056.305,058.30
Low/High
5,036.405,129.30
Change
-22.10-0.44%
30daychg
-11.50-0.23%
1yearchg
+2,066.90+69.14%
Silver Price & PGMs
(Kitco News,Friday Mar. 13th, 2026-) – The U.S. labor market is showing early signs of stabilizing as the number of job openings increased more than expected in January. Better-than-expected jobs data is creating some selling pressure in gold as the precious metal tries to hold support above $5,100 an ounce.
January job openings—a measure of labor demand—rose to 6.95 million, up from December’s revised reading of 6.55 million, according to the Labor Department’s monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
The data was better than expected, as economists had been looking for a more modest increase to 6.76 million.
The gold market continues to see some volatility as it reacts to competing economic headlines. Prices hit session highs earlier in the day following data that showed slowing economic growth and persistently elevated inflation.
However, better-than-expected labor market data is taking some momentum away from the precious metal. Spot gold last traded at $5,100.30 an ounce, up 0.24% on the day.
According to some analysts, despite concerns about economic growth, a relatively healthy labor market could keep the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates aggressively this year, as inflation pressures are expected to pick up.
Posted by:
Jack Dempsey, President
401 Gold Consultants LLC
jdemp2003@gmail.com