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Commodities & Forex

Live prices for gold, silver, oil and the major currency pairs, plain-English explainers on what moves them, and every commodities and forex guide on FintechZoom Pro.

By (editorial team)Published Sources

Metals, energy and currencies

Live data: TradingView

Live prices load when you scroll or tap

  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Platinum
  • Copper
  • WTI crude oil
  • Brent crude oil
  • Natural gas
  • EUR/USD
  • GBP/USD
  • USD/JPY
  • AUD/USD
  • USD/CHF

Quotes can be delayed. Metal and oil quotes are spot, CFD or futures-based and can differ from official benchmarks such as the LBMA gold price.

Grams, troy ounces and bar sizes

Precious metals are priced per troy ounce, which is 31.1034768 grams. That is about 10% heavier than the everyday (avoirdupois) ounce of 28.35 grams used for food, so the two should never be mixed up when you compare a bar or coin to the quoted price.

Retail bars range from 1 gram to 1 kilogram, while the large bars traded between banks in London weigh roughly 400 troy ounces. Small bars usually carry a higher premium over the spot price per gram than large ones. See our 5 gram gold bar guide andgold price guide.

Weight converter

Convert a bar or coin weight

Troy ounces1.000 troy oz
Avoirdupois ounces1.097 oz (avoirdupois)
Kilograms0.031 kg
Tola (South Asia)2.67 tola

1 troy ounce = 31.1034768 g; 1 tola = 11.6638038 g. Multiply troy ounces by the live price above to estimate melt value (before premiums and fees).

How currency pairs are quoted

A forex quote such as EUR/USD 1.10 means one euro (the base currency) costs 1.10 US dollars (the quote currency). If the number rises, the base currency has strengthened. The table shows live cross rates between major currencies.

Live cross rates for EUR, USD, JPY, GBP, CHF, AUD, CAD and NZD load when you scroll here.

Pips, lots and leverage

A pip is the standard unit of price movement in forex: 0.0001 for most pairs and 0.01 for pairs quoted in Japanese yen. Trade size is measured in lots: a standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, a mini lot 10,000 and a micro lot 1,000.

Retail forex is usually traded with leverage, so a small deposit controls a much larger position. Leverage multiplies losses as well as gains, and regulators warn that most retail accounts trading leveraged products lose money. Start with forex for beginners andhow to choose a forex broker.

Pip value calculator

What is one pip worth?

Units of base currency100,000
Value per pip (quote currency)10.00 per pip
Profit or loss for that move100.00

Values are in the pair's quote currency (US dollars for EUR/USD, yen for USD/JPY). Spreads, commissions and overnight financing are not included.

What moves gold, oil and currencies

The main forces behind each market. Pick a market to see its drivers.

Gold and silver

  • Real interest rates: gold pays no interest, so it tends to be more attractive when inflation-adjusted yields fall.
  • The US dollar: metals are priced in dollars; a weaker dollar makes them cheaper for other buyers.
  • Safe-haven demand: geopolitical stress and market sell-offs often lift gold.
  • Central bank buying, jewellery and industry: silver in particular has large industrial uses, including solar panels and electronics.

Read: protecting assets with gold, silver price guide.

Crude oil

  • Supply decisions: output policy by OPEC+ and production in the US and elsewhere.
  • Demand and the economy: oil use rises and falls with economic activity, travel and the seasons.
  • Inventories: weekly US stock data from the EIA can move prices.
  • Geopolitics: disruption risk in producing regions and shipping routes.

WTI (US) and Brent (North Sea) are the two main benchmarks. Read: oil price today.

Industrial metals

  • Manufacturing and construction demand, with China the largest consumer of many metals.
  • Energy transition: copper and nickel are used in electric vehicles, batteries and power grids.
  • Mine supply and export policies.

Read: nickel and the EV industry.

Currencies

  • Interest rate differences: higher rates can attract capital to a currency.
  • Central bank decisions and guidance from the Federal Reserve, ECB, Bank of England and Bank of Japan.
  • Economic data: inflation, jobs and growth figures.
  • Risk appetite: in stress, money often flows to the US dollar, Swiss franc and yen.

Read: forex innovations, a beginner's trading plan.

Ways to get exposure, and their risks

  • Physical metal (bars and coins): no counterparty risk, but you pay dealer premiums and need secure storage and insurance. See are physical commodities safe? and tangible assets for beginners.
  • Exchange-traded funds: easy to trade in a brokerage account; check whether a fund holds physical metal or uses futures.
  • Futures: standardised exchange contracts with leverage and expiry dates; built for experienced traders and businesses that hedge.
  • CFDs and spot forex: leveraged over-the-counter products; check that the broker is regulated, and be wary of bonus offers (how no-deposit bonuses work) and of prop-firm challenges.

The U.S. CFTC warns that forex fraud often involves promises of high returns with little risk; treat such claims as a red flag.

All Commodities & Forex guides (14)

Every article in this topic, A to Z.

Related hubs

Topics readers of Commodities & Forex often explore next.

Sources

  1. LBMA precious metal prices (London Bullion Market Association)
  2. Gold futures and options (CME Group)
  3. Oil and petroleum products explained: prices (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
  4. Triennial Central Bank Survey of FX and OTC derivatives markets (Bank for International Settlements)
  5. Foreign currency trading (forex) fraud (U.S. CFTC)
  6. World Gold Council: gold market research (World Gold Council)
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