Gold Price Chart
The interactive chart below shows gold (XAU/USD) on daily candles; change the timeframe, add moving averages or switch to a line or log scale from the toolbar. Below it are smaller charts of gold in Indian rupees and British pounds, and a short guide to reading a gold chart properly.
Reading a candlestick
Each candle covers one period: a day on the default view, 15 minutes on an intraday view. The body spans the opening and closing price; the thin lines (wicks) reach the period's high and low. A green or hollow candle closed higher than it opened; a red or filled candle closed lower.
- Long body, short wicks: the price moved steadily one way all period.
- Long upper wick: the price rose but sellers pushed it back before the close.
- Small body, long wicks on both sides: a volatile but indecisive period.
For example, a daily candle that opens at $4,150, trades up to $4,195, dips to $4,138 and closes at $4,180 has a $30 green body (0.72%) and a $57 range.
Choosing a timeframe
| Candle interval | Good for |
|---|---|
| 1–15 minutes | Seeing how gold reacted to a data release or headline; see live gold price |
| 1 hour–4 hours | The last few days, session-by-session behaviour |
| Daily | Trend over weeks and months; deciding whether a move is unusual |
| Weekly / monthly | Multi-year trends and the long history on the gold price history page |
A move that looks dramatic on a 5-minute chart can be a small wiggle on a daily one. Before reacting to a headline about gold "crashing" or "soaring", check the daily chart and the percentage change.
Linear vs log scale
On a linear scale every $100 looks the same height. On a logarithmic scale every percentage move looks the same height, so a rise from $400 to $800 takes the same space as $2,000 to $4,000, since both are doublings. Use log scale (the "log" button at the bottom right of the chart) for anything longer than a few years; otherwise recent moves dominate and earlier history looks flat.
Moving averages
A moving average smooths the price by averaging the last N closes. Add one from the Indicators menu. The two most widely watched on gold are:
- 50-day moving average: the medium-term trend. In a strong uptrend gold tends to stay above it, and pullbacks often stall near it.
- 200-day moving average: the long-term trend. Many traders treat a sustained break below it as a change in trend.
Moving averages describe what has happened; they do not predict. They are useful for context, such as knowing how far gold has run above its long-term average, which tends to be large after sharp rallies.
Support, resistance and round numbers
Traders mark levels where the price has repeatedly turned: previous highs (resistance) and previous lows (support). Round numbers such as $4,000 attract attention too, because many orders cluster there. These levels are not rules, but they explain why gold sometimes pauses at an obvious figure. Use the horizontal line tool to mark them on the chart.
Gold in other currencies
The dollar chart is the global benchmark, but your local price also depends on the exchange rate. When the rupee or pound weakens, gold in that currency can rise even on a day the dollar price falls.
Indian buyers should also note that domestic prices add the 6% import duty; see the gold rate in India. UK prices are on gold price in the UK.
Common chart mistakes
- Comparing a futures chart with a spot table. Futures usually sit a little above spot; see gold futures.
- Reading weekend prices as live. The last candle on a Saturday is Friday's close.
- Ignoring the currency. A record in rupees is not necessarily a record in dollars.
- Drawing conclusions from a single timeframe. Check at least the daily and weekly charts.