I've been closely watching gold trends lately, and I found that the recent market movement from last year to early this year has been quite extraordinary. The gold price for the entire year of 2025 increased by 64.72%, marking the strongest annual performance since 1979. In January of this year, it even surged to $5,600 per ounce at one point. Although there has been some pullback now, the overall level remains high.

For us Malaysian investors, this surge in international gold prices has directly pushed up local gold shop quotes. The price of 916 gold has risen particularly noticeably here in Malaysia, and it is said that some gold shops' retail prices for 999 pure gold have approached a historic high of 750-800 ringgit per gram. Due to the rapid price changes, gold shops have now switched to a semi-daily or even real-time listing strategy. Consumers looking to buy should compare prices at several shops.

This week, gold prices fluctuated within the range of $5,093 to $5,281 per ounce, mainly influenced by risk aversion sentiment and geopolitical factors. Interestingly, while many investors are cashing out at high levels, there are still safe-haven funds continuing to buy at elevated prices. If you want to trade international spot gold, you can operate almost 24 hours from Monday to Friday. Malaysian time, the market opens at around 7 a.m. on Monday and closes at 6 a.m. on Saturday. Local FGLD futures trading hours are slightly more limited, but after-hours trading (from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. the next day) is the most active, allowing traders to connect with the New York market.

In the short term, the US-Iran situation and US non-farm payroll data are key variables, which could continue to push gold prices higher. However, caution is also needed regarding the risk of a pullback from profit-taking at high levels.