Speculate on where gold, silver, platinum and palladium will be in the short or long term, with our wide choice of futures and spot markets.
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Precious metals trading
Why trade precious metals with IG Bank?
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Spot and futures
Speculate on futures markets, or take a short-term view with expiry-free products.
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Metals on margin
Gain full exposure to precious metals, such as gold, with only a small deposit.
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Risk management tools
Make sure you have complete control over every trade with stops, alerts and more.
Trading precious metals with IG Bank
With IG Bank, you can trade CFDs on gold, silver, platinum and palladium.
You’ll find quotes for all our precious metals on our trading platform. When you take a position, you’re speculating on the metal’s rise or fall in value, rather than taking actual ownership. If your prediction is correct, you’ll make a profit. If not, you’ll make a loss.
As CFDs are leveraged products, you’ll only ever need to put down a small deposit to gain exposure to the full value of your trade. Keep in mind that while this helps your capital to go further, it also means you stand to lose more than your initial outlay.
Current precious metals prices
| Markets | Sell | Buy | Change |
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| Spot Gold |
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| Spot Silver (5000oz) |
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| Spot Palladium |
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| Spot Platinum Mini LCP (5oz) |
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| High Grade Copper |
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| Iron Ore |
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Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only.
Factors affecting precious metal prices
Supply and demand
Like any product or service, a shortage of precious metals, or an increased need for them, makes them more valuable. For example, if a strike at a major silver mine interrupts production, silver prices may see an uplift over the short term.
An improvement in mining equipment, meanwhile, could have the opposite effect, speeding up production and saturating the market.
Economic uncertainty
In times of economic and political instability, precious metals are traditionally viewed as safe havens due to their lasting value.
We saw this theory in action when Donald Trump’s election caused gold to rally, as nervous investors flocked towards its market security.
Industrial output
Precious metals have a huge range of industrial uses, including in the manufacture of automotive parts, medical devices, precision electronics and jewellery.
What’s more, new applications are continuously being developed. As demand for these goods grows, so does the demand for precious metals.
Strength of the dollar
Given that the precious metals are dollar-denominated, they are particularly susceptible to the value of the greenback.
When the dollar falls, precious metals are both a good place to store its value and less costly for other countries to purchase – meaning it is likely to push the price of precious metals higher.
Interest rates
Precious metals offer a desirable alternative for fixed-income investors, whose investments offer a lower yield when rates are slashed.
As such, Fed decision-making may guide investors towards these safe-haven opportunities, but the Fed’s impact on precious metals shouldn’t be overstated. Of more importance is how rate announcements affect the dollar.
Quantitative easing
Precious metals generally perform better in a rising-inflation environment.
This is because quantitative easing, or money-printing, dilutes the value of the currency in circulation, and makes it more expensive to buy assets which are viewed as a reliable store of value.
Precious metals: benefits of CFD trading
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Gain exposure to the full value of your position with only a small deposit, via leverage
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Speculate on short and medium-term price moves
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CFD trading is free from stamp duty.
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Take a position on a fall in value as well as a rise
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Trade over the counter
Ways to invest in precious metals
In addition to trading CFDs on precious metals, there are a number of other ways to invest in them, e.g.:
- ETFs: speculate on a diverse collection of assets in a single investment
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17 000 global markets, with reliable execution
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17 000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 50 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 50 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
FAQs
Why are precious metals valuable?
Of the precious metals we offer, some are more valuable than each other – gold over silver, for example. But they all share a few common traits:
- They aren’t abundant in supply
- They aren’t reactive, so won’t rust over time
- They are homogeneous, meaning one ounce is directly equitable to another
In short, precious metals have always been, geologically speaking, the perfect method of currency. Almost as importantly, they have a long history as a method of wealth exchange and storage. This means precious metals carry with them an intrinsic reputation. Like any currency, their value, then, comes from a consensus belief in that very value.
Why trade CFDs precious metals?
By trading CFDs on precious metals, you’ll be able to:
- Trade on leverage, giving you significant exposure with only a small deposit
- Take a position on short-term price moves
- Make the most of unique tax advantages
- Go both short and long
Which precious metal should I trade?
At IG Bank, we offer gold, silver, platinum and palladium, and which of these you choose to trade is up to you.
If you’re new to the world of precious metals, you may choose to start with gold, as it is likely the one you will be most familiar with. As long as you do your research and put in place measures to control your risk, however, you should feel confident in taking short and long-term positions on any of our metals.
Which other markets affect precious metals?
Uncertainty in any financial market may push investors towards the security of precious metals. But as precious metals are denominated in the US dollar, the strength of the currency is a key to how they perform. This is generally an inverse relationship, in which a more valuable dollar has a negative impact on the value of the metals, and vice versa.
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