New York, Feb 28, 2026, 15:17 EST — Market shut its doors for the day.
Newmont Corp (NEM) closed out Friday with a 1.98% gain at $130.00, bucking a downward trend in the broader market. The S&P 500 slipped 0.43%, while the Dow shed 1.05%. That made Newmont’s advance all the more notable during a lackluster session for equities.
Spot gold gained 0.8% Friday, landing at $5,230.56 an ounce—flirting with highs not seen since Jan. 30—fueled by geopolitical tensions and softer U.S. Treasury yields. “There’s a lot of nervousness surrounding geopolitics… it’s a risk-off in a flight to safety,” said Phillip Streible, chief market strategist at Blue Line Futures. That uptick follows a familiar pattern. Reuters
Bernstein set the tone for Newmont, bumping the miner to Outperform from Market-Perform and jacking up its price target to $157, previously $121. The broker’s bullish stance comes with a big revision to its gold outlook—now projecting $4,800 an ounce by 2026 and a jump to $6,100 by 2030. Bernstein argues that Newmont stands out for its strong exposure to any move higher in bullion.
Newmont shares picked up momentum late, settling up 2.10% at $127.47 on Thursday. That’s two days in the green heading into Friday.
Newmont isn’t just watching the gold price—it’s highlighting what it can control. On Feb. 19, the miner topped fourth-quarter profit expectations and outlined plans to put $1.4 billion into assets gained from the Newcrest acquisition, plus roughly $1.95 billion earmarked for sustaining capital. “The focus on operational improvement is high on our agenda,” CEO Natascha Viljoen told Reuters. For 2026, Newmont sees gold output dropping to 5.3 million ounces, down from last year’s 5.89 million. Reuters
Sustaining capital covers the outlays needed just to keep mines in business — equipment replacements, plant upgrades, tailings upkeep. If those bills start rising quicker than gold prices, cash flow feels the squeeze.
There was also movement on the insider front. Newmont managing director for Africa-Asia Pacific Mark C. Rodgers disclosed the sale of 5,147 shares at $125 each on Feb. 25, according to a Form 4. Rodgers still held 32,250 shares after the trade, which took place under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, the filing said—a structure that lets executives schedule stock sales in advance.
Investors watching dividend schedules will note Newmont’s last payout came in at 26 cents per share. According to Fidelity, the ex-dividend date and record date were both set for March 3, with payment due on March 26. Ex-dividend marks when buyers are no longer entitled to that dividend.
Gold’s grip on the $5,200 level is shaky, and miners tend to pivot swiftly if macro conditions change. Razan Hilal, market analyst at FOREX.com, noted the metal has “failed to sustain gains” this week. Peter Grant, strategist at Zaner Metals, highlighted that there’s still “enough uncertainty out there right now,” making near-term pullbacks possible. Reuters
Markets open up again Monday, with the February U.S. Employment Situation report slated for March 6 at 8:30 a.m. ET—one that tends to jolt yields, move the dollar, and hit gold-sensitive names like Newmont.
