Gold Price Today (Dec. 18, 2025): Spot Gold Holds Near $4,330 After Soft U.S. CPI as Fed-Cut Bets Clash With Inflation-Hedge Demand
Gold prices cooled slightly Thursday but stayed close to record territory after a softer-than-expected U.S. inflation print shifted rate expectations again—supportive for non-yielding bullion—while simultaneously undermining gold’s role as an inflation hedge. Spot gold was last trading around the $4,330–$4,335/oz area in late afternoon U.S. dealing, while U.S. gold futures hovered in the mid-$4,360s. Kitco+2Reuters+2 Gold price today: spot gold, XAU/USD, and gold futures levels Here’s where the market stood in the latest widely published updates on Dec. 18: Gold remains very close to its recent peaks. Reuters noted bullion hit a record $4,381.21 on Oct. 20, 2025, and Thursday’s action kept prices “hovering near these levels” earlier