The gold market continues to maintain its support zone above the 4,300 USD/ounce mark, but price movements are showing signs of increasingly fragility. More positive labor data than forecast by the US may continue to put pressure on this precious metal.
According to a US Department of Labor announcement on Wednesday, the number of first-time unemployment claims in the states decreased by 16,000, to 199,000 claims (adjusted seasonally) in the week ending December 27. The data from the previous week was adjusted up to 214,000 claims.
The latest labor data far exceeds market expectations, as economists previously predicted this figure would remain almost unchanged.
The gold market is struggling to find a foothold in the last trading session of 2025. Spot gold price was recorded at 5:55 AM on January 1, 2026 (Vietnam time) at 4,317.6 USD/ounce, down 20.1 USD/ounce compared to the previous day.
Meanwhile, the average 4-week jobless claims – a measure often seen as a more reliable reflection of the labor market due to eliminating short-term fluctuations – reached 218,750 claims, up from the unchanged average of the previous week of 216,750 claims.
The number of applications for unemployment benefits continues, reflecting the number of people receiving benefits, at 1.866 million people in the week ending December 20, higher than the adjusted level of the previous week of 1.885 million people but lower than the forecast level of 1.900 million people.
Preliminary data on seasonally adjusted unemployment in the week ending December 20 also recorded at 1.866 million people, down 47,000 people compared to the adjusted level of the previous week of 1.913 million people.
Gold price data is compared to the previous day.
The world gold market operates through two main valuation mechanisms. The first is the spot market, where prices are quoted for transactions and immediate delivery.
Second is the futures contract market, where prices are set for futures delivery. Due to year-end book closing activities, December gold contracts are currently the most actively traded on CME.
