1. New orders for U.S. factory goods increased more than expected in September, boosted by bookings for aircraft and a range of other goods, government data showed on Tuesday. Factory orders rose 1.8% after an upwardly revised 0.3% gain in August, the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said. Economists polled had forecasted orders surging 1.2% after a previously reported 0.1% gain in August. Orders advanced 7.2% on a year-over-year basis in September.
2. Gold prices climbed 3% on Wednesday, on track for their biggest daily gain since mid-August as the dollar tumbled, lifting demand for bullion. Investors are also awaiting this week’s U.S. payrolls data for fresh signals on the Federal Reserve’s rate outlook. Spot gold rose to $4,046.74 per ounce and was on track to log its biggest daily gain since August 19. Earlier in the session, it hit $4,050.99, its highest level since October 29. U.S. gold futures for December delivery were up 2.9% to $4,054.60 per ounce. The dollar tumbled on Wednesday, as investors weighed the prospect of tighter AI regulation and its potential drag on economic growth. A weaker dollar makes dollar-denominated gold less expensive for buyers holding other currencies, supporting demand for the precious metal. Among other metals, spot silver gained 4.8% to $52.13 per ounce, platinum rose 3.6% to $1,467.60 and palladium climbed 6.5% to $995.06.
3. Hiring in the private sector showed continued strength in October, as employers across a variety of industries added roles. Private companies added 86,000 jobs this month, matching a revised 86,000 in September, data released Wednesday showed. Economists had been expecting a gain of 67,000 jobs. Base wages for private-sector workers rose 3.2%, a figure that still trails inflation, while gross pay, which includes additional compensation such as overtime and bonuses, was up 4.7%. “You have back-to-back, two consecutive straight months of pretty solid job growth,” ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said.
4. U.S. worker productivity grew faster than expected in the third quarter, depressing labor costs and supporting views that the labor market was not a source of inflation. Nonfarm productivity, which measures hourly output per worker, increased at a 3.6% annualized rate last quarter after advancing by an upwardly revised 2.1% pace in the April-June quarter. Economists had forecasted productivity to increase at a 2.8% rate after a previously reported 1.4% growth pace in the second quarter.
5. Binance customers withdrew $7.4 billion from the cryptocurrency exchange after it suffered what security experts said was the largest digital coin theft ever. Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies, resulting in a net outflow of $4.7 billion in the company’s holdings. The fund withdrawals came after cybercriminals, whom the FBI linked to North Korea, stole $6.3 billion in digital currency from Binance. The hacker group believed to be responsible for the attack, known as “TraderTraitor,” was converting most of the stolen assets into Ethereum in a move to hide their tracks, the FBI said Saturday. TraderTraitor was also responsible for a February 2025 attack on another crypto exchange, Bybit, that resulted in a $1.5 billion loss, according to the FBI. Binance has promised to cover the full losses using company funds. By early Sunday morning, it said it had covered around 95% of the impacted amount.
6. The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims slipped to a 57-year low last week as layoffs remained low against the backdrop of a resilient labor market. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 189,000 for the week ended October 31. Economists polled had forecasted 196,000 claims for the latest week. Claims matched the 189,000 level touched in mid-July, which was the lowest reading since 1969.
7. In a whiplash see-saw session on Friday, Brent crude futures for January were up 31 cents, or 0.3%, to $98.60 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures edged up by 48 cents, or 0.5%, to $91.00. The Brent contract is on track for a 16% decline this week, which would be its steepest weekly percentage fall since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and its biggest in absolute terms in LSEG data going back to 1988. WTI is set for a 13% decline. The oil price slide comes against the backdrop of a dramatic rout in technology stocks.
8. EUR/USD slips on Friday, erasing all gains recorded this week as stronger-than-expected U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls data boosts demand for the U.S. Dollar. At the time of writing, the pair trades around 1.1132, down 0.77% on the day.
9. USD/JPY rebounds on Friday, snapping a two-day losing streak as stronger-than-expected jobs data lifts the Dollar and brings its yield advantage over the Japanese Yen back into focus. At the time of writing, USD/JPY trades around 158.30 after hitting an intraday low of 157.26.
The U.S. added 165,000 jobs in October, blowing past economists’ expectations, as the labor market showed strength despite the Federal Reserve’s recent rate hikes. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% amid a slight increase in labor force participation. September’s underwhelming jobs report of 29,000 additions was also revised upward to a gain of 60,000 jobs. Economists surveyed had projected a gain of about 70,000 jobs in October and saw the unemployment rate holding steady.
Layoff plans in October fell to the lowest level since 2023 as companies turned their attention to retaining existing employees and adding seasonal help ahead of the holidays. U.S. employers announced 43,994 job cuts in October, up slightly from September but down 71% from a year earlier, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Job cuts have been muted this year as the labor market stays in “low hire, low fire” mode. Announced cuts in the first 10 months of the year are at their lowest level since 2022. A handful of large companies have announced more than 470,000 seasonal hires through October, led by Amazon, which plans to add 300,000 workers for the holiday rush. UPS said it was adding 100,000 seasonal positions.
A record share of first-time homebuyers are paying for their properties in cash, a sign that more buyers are likely using money they inherited from older generations to help fund their purchases. Last year, 1 in 10 first-time buyers did an all-cash transaction, according to a new report, the fourth straight year with an increase, and the largest share since the trade group began collecting data on those transactions in 2003. Among first-time all-cash buyers, 28% reported using an inheritance to help fund their deal, compared with just 9% of first-time buyers who financed. “It is critical when analyzing first-time buyers to understand there is a growing divide among those who are saving independently and priced out of homeownership, versus those who are waiting on the sidelines but then given a generational transfer of wealth,” the report said.
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.
Trading Department – Precious Metals International Ltd.
Friday to Friday Close (New York Closing Prices)
| Oct. 30, 2026 | Nov. 6, 2026 | Net Change | ||
| Gold | $3,883.35 | $4,060.20 | 176.85 | 4.55% |
| Silver | $49.07 | $51.89 | 2.82 | 5.75% |
| Platinum | $1,424.63 | $1,538.15 | 113.52 | 7.97% |
| Palladium | $974.93 | $1,022.79 | 47.86 | 4.91% |
| Dow | 51785.82 | 51293.93 | -491.89 | -0.95% |
Previous Year Comparisons
| Nov. 7, 2025 | Nov. 6, 2026 | Net Change | ||
| Gold | $4,005.38 | $4,060.20 | 54.82 | 1.37% |
| Silver | $48.29 | $51.89 | 3.60 | 7.45% |
| Platinum | $1,543.86 | $1,538.15 | -5.71 | -0.37% |
| Palladium | $1,389.02 | $1,022.79 | -366.23 | -26.37% |
| Dow | 46985.04 | 51293.93 | 4308.89 | 9.17% |
Here are your Short-Term Support and Resistance Levels for the upcoming week.
| Gold | Silver | |
| Support | 3942/3802/3730 | 50.93/47.05/44.98 |
| Resistance | 4015/4155/4228 | 53.00/56.88/58.96 |
| Platinum | Palladiumn | |
| Support | 1473/1382/1329 | 1004/941/902 |
| Resistance | 1526/1618/1670 | 1042/1105/1143 |