Gold breaks $5,000 per ounce record price: Everything to know now
The moment gold investors and prospective ones were anticipating finally arrived this week as the price of the precious metal surged past $5,000 per ounce. The new record of $5,104.00, as of January 26, follows previous milestones achieved just in the past year as gold broke the $3,000 and $4,000 marks in March and October 2025, respectively. And the remarkable growth could easily continue throughout 2026 as gold prices, not accounting for some minor dips, tend to only rise over extended periods.
Today's developments, however, also spark a new series of questions worth contemplating. By understanding these new dynamics and by taking an informed approach, both beginners and veterans in the gold space can better position themselves for investing success. Below, we'll answer four critical questions worth asking with the price of gold at yet another new record high.
Protect your portfolio with gold before the price rises again now.
What to know about gold as it hits the $5,000 per ounce mark
An informed investor is often a more successful one. Before getting started with the yellow metal now, be sure that you understand the answers to these four critical questions:
Why does gold continue to break price records?
Many of the items that drive the price of gold to rise – inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, Federal Reserve interest rate cuts – have been prevalent in recent months. And though inflation is substantially lower than it was in recent years, it remains sticky. And Fed rate cuts, three of which were issued in the final months of 2025, seem on pause now. Geopolitical uncertainty has also been higher in January, which typically causes investors to flock to safe-haven assets like gold to protect their portfolio (the price of silver has also been surging). Until these factors level off, gold prices are likely to remain high and, potentially, can move closer to the $6,000 per ounce mark, maybe even as soon as this year.
Learn more about your top gold investment options here.
Should I wait for the price to drop to get invested?
If all of the aforementioned factors weren't prevalent right now, then waiting for a small price drop to get invested in gold could make sense. But that's not the climate investors are operating in currently. Historically, price drops that do materialize here are relatively small and short-lived. So waiting for those to appear isn't the best way to approach a gold investment now and it could even, theoretically, cause you to lose out on an investment entirely. Instead, explore the viable ways in which you can still get invested without having to pay today's top price.
Can I get invested affordably?
You don't have to pay $5,100 to get invested in gold now, nor should you, necessarily. You still have fractional gold options available. This allows you to purchase gold bullion in amounts lower than the traditional ounce. But these options are also increasing in price commensurate with the ounce option, making them less affordable than they were a few months ago.
You can also take a dollar-cost averaging approach in which you invest the same amount of money into the metal each day, week or month (the timeline depends on your preference). This will ensure that you're invested in a cost-effective way and, over time, will lead to you owning a larger portion of the metal. It will take time and consistency and it won't be as rapid as buying an ounce of gold online right now, but it could pay off over an extended period.
Should I look to alternatives like silver instead?
The days of buying silver at a low cost seemingly appear gone forever, but compared to gold, silver's price of near $100 per ounce still offers a much more affordable way to get invested in the precious metal space. The price forecast for silver in 2026 remains strong and the metal offers many of the same inflation-hedging and portfolio-diversifying elements that gold does. But there are important differences between the two to understand, too. For many, silver shouldn't necessarily be the alternative to gold but instead be used to complement a gold investment to better diversify your overall precious metal holdings.
The bottom line
A record gold price of $5,000 per ounce marks a new and exciting time for both existing investors and potential ones. But with the price this high, investors will need to be judicious and more strategic than they may have needed to be when gold was priced under $3,000 last January. By thinking through the answers to these important questions and by keeping the precious metal portion of their portfolio capped at 10% investors can better exploit today's rising price while still protecting their other, income-producing assets at the same time.
