1. U.S. stock futures tumbled on Monday while oil prices surged after military strikes on Iran were followed by counterattacks, sending shockwaves through global markets. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slumped 1.2%, or over 500 points. Contracts on the S&P 500 sank 1.1%, while those on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 dived 1.4% as the escalating Middle East conflict spurred a retreat from risk assets. Treasury yields moved higher as markets cut back bets on interest-rate cuts on the prospect of hotter inflation. The next key input into those rate calculations comes Friday, with the release of the monthly jobs report. Economists expect U.S. payrolls to have added 60,000 jobs in February, down from January’s stronger-than-expected 130,000 gain that eased recession fears.
2. Gold and silver prices are sharply higher and hit four-week highs in early U.S. trading on Monday, on strong safe-haven demand as the Middle East is seeing its biggest war in decades. April gold was last up $159.40 at $5,406.80. March silver prices were up $2.038 at $94.71. April gold futures bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at the contract/record high of $5,626.80. The Bears’ next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $5,000.00. March silver futures bulls see the next upside price objective as closing prices above solid technical resistance at $100.00. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the February low of $71.815. The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index solidly up and hitting a five-week high. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note is presently 3.96 percent.
3. U.S. private employers added 63,000 roles in February, beating expectations in the best monthly gains since July, according to the private payroll processor ADP. Economists surveyed had expected an increase of 50,000 in February, an improvement from the previous month’s lackluster gain of 22,000 roles, which was revised even lower Wednesday to 11,000 positions. But ADP’s data showed hiring “jumped” last month, with gains led by construction, education, and healthcare as manufacturing and business services shed positions. Pay was up 4.5% on an annual basis, ADP said, while the median pay change for job-changers was 6.3%.
4. Bitcoin rose 8% on Wednesday, with strategists pointing to the token’s resilience amid market volatility tied to the Middle East conflict. The token climbed to a one-month high above $73,000 as more than $680 million flowed into spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Monday and Tuesday. The broader markets lagged on concerns that oil price spikes tied to the Iran war could reignite inflation. Still, bitcoin remains down 16% year to date after notching a fifth consecutive monthly loss in February. The cryptocurrency has struggled to regain its footing since tumbling from an all-time high of $126,000 in October.
5. February’s payrolls sharply missed economists’ expectations; Labor Department data released Friday showed 92,000 jobs lost. The unemployment rate also edged up slightly to 4.4%. Economists surveyed had anticipated 55,000 new positions after January’s surprise print of 130,000 payrolls. Those gains were also revised lower by 4,000 positions.
6. The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week, while layoffs dropped sharply in February, consistent with stable labor market conditions. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits were flat at a seasonally adjusted 213,000 for the week ended February 28, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled had forecasted 215,000 claims for the latest week.
7. Looking at oil, prices have begun to rally again. Supply concerns eased after the U.S. said it will offer risk insurance and naval escorts for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Still, damage to infrastructure and tankers in the region has renewed nerves. West Texas Intermediate futures traded near $79 a barrel, while Brent crude traded above $84.
8. EUR/USD has reversed part of its earlier pullback and is now edging back towards the key 1.1600 level. The rebound follows a knee-jerk in the U.S. Dollar after the latest NFP report showed the economy unexpectedly lost 92K jobs in February. Meanwhile, the deteriorating geopolitical backdrop continues to lend support to the Greenback, limiting the pair’s recovery.
9. USD/JPY rises and challenges the 158.00 figure on Friday, up over 0.20%. Also, the Middle East conflict deteriorates market mood, maintaining the U.S. Dollar bid during the week.
Joy Alukkas, an Indian tycoon who built one of the world’s biggest family-owned jewelers, sees gold prices tracking higher over the coming years in response to a world hit by geopolitical and economic risks. “Whenever there is tension in the world, people naturally run to gold for safety. That can lift prices for a few days,” the owner of Joyalukkas Group said in an interview from Dubai. “Over the next 2 to 3 years, unless the world sees real improvement in the bigger picture, especially around the economy and wider geopolitics, I don’t see a meaningful correction. There can be dips, but the overall direction still looks upward.” The comments underline how some of the world’s biggest accumulators of the metal view the recent volatility. Gold has surged more than 75% in a year and hit a record in January. Bullion rose as much as 1.1% to almost $5,200 an ounce on Thursday, before paring some gains.
Layoff announcements slid in February, according to a new report from the global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, amid other emerging signs the labor market may be stabilizing. Employers revealed plans to slash 48,307 roles last month, compared to the 108,435 job cut announcements seen in January. “February’s dip is a nice reprieve from the elevated job cut plans to start the year,” Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement. Just two months into the year, the job market has already been rocked by steep cuts from major employers like Amazon and UPS, as well as Block’s recent headline-making announcement that it would slash 40% of its staff amid AI advancements. However, the layoff rate, as measured by the federal government, has remained relatively stable. At 1.1% in December, it was still a hair below the rate of 1.3% seen before the pandemic slammed into the economy in March 2020.
Treasuries are heading for their biggest weekly loss since April 2025 as surging oil prices fuel inflation concerns, overshadowing a surprisingly weak jobs report that might otherwise bolster the case for Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts. Long-term bonds underperformed on Friday, with yields on 10-year notes up as much as five basis points and extending the rise this week to 22 basis points. Yields on 10- to 30-year Treasuries rose on Friday as Brent crude futures hit $90 a barrel, while two-year yields, which are more sensitive to changes in the Fed’s policy, slipped. The short-dated yields fell about 2 basis points to about 3.6%, paring their weekly increase to 18 basis points.
Volatility should be expected to remain high as investors will be closely watching for hints on the upcoming monetary policy direction. Many investors have redoubled their efforts to ensure that their portfolios are sufficiently diversified in the hope that they will be able to withstand corrections in multiple market sectors. Many of these investors have included physical precious metals as part of their diversification plans, given their long history as a hedge against both inflation and during times of economic turmoil. Remember, the key to profitability through the ownership of physical precious metals is to own the physical product and hold it for the long term. Always remember that you should never overextend your ability to maintain ownership of your precious metals over the long run.
Friday to Friday Close (New York Closing Prices)
| Feb. 27, 2026 | Mar. 6, 2026 | Net Change | ||
| Gold | $5,234.04 | $5,140.65 | -93.39 | -1.78% |
| Silver | $93.66 | $84.10 | -9.56 | -10.21% |
| Platinum | $2,367.78 | $2,127.45 | -240.33 | -10.15% |
| Palladium | $1,791.08 | $1,638.68 | -152.40 | -8.51% |
| Dow | 48983.89 | 47501.55 | -1482.34 | -3.03% |
Previous Year Comparison
| Mar. 7, 2025 | Mar. 6, 2026 | Net Change | ||
| Gold | $2,905.40 | $5,140.65 | 2235.25 | 76.93% |
| Silver | $32.31 | $84.10 | 51.79 | 160.29% |
| Platinum | $962.48 | $2,127.45 | 1164.97 | 121.04% |
| Palladium | $950.70 | $1,638.68 | 687.98 | 72.37% |
| Dow | 42801.72 | 47501.55 | 4699.83 | 10.98% |
Here are your Short-Term Support and Resistance Levels for the upcoming week.
| Gold | Silver | |
| Support | 5155/5032/4970 | 81.26/77.95/75.03 |
| Resistance | 5340/5402/5525 | 90.87/97.16/100.48 |
| Platinum | Palladiumn | |
| Support | 2069/1969/1846 | 1615/1528/1490 |
| Resistance | 2292/2492/2615 | 1789/1873/1963 |