Commodities Wrap 6 November: Midday, Gold Slips Before US Payrolls as All Five Metals Fall
Gold’s December contract traded 0.97% lower on Friday and all five metals we track fell, with palladium down 2.37%, while natural gas led the energy contracts higher. Official settlements replace these intraday figures once the exchanges publish them.
Reuters reported that gold slipped as a see-saw session in oil kept inflation worries alive ahead of key US jobs data, and that oil was set for a sharp weekly fall after the midterm election losses of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party raised hopes of a de-escalation in the US-Israeli war on Iran, though attacks on vessels in the Middle East continued to provide a floor for the market.
Natural gas leads a mixed energy group
Natural gas rose 2.04% to $3.007 per million Btu, and heating oil and WTI’s December contract also traded higher. Brent’s January contract was little changed at $98.20 a barrel, and gasoline was the group’s other faller.
Palladium leads the metals lower as cocoa slips
Palladium’s 2.37% drop was the largest move on our commodity tables, and gold traded at $4,073.60 an ounce, while platinum fell least among the metals. Among the crops, cocoa’s March contract fell 1.76% and led the declines, while corn and soybeans edged higher and coffee, now quoted on its March contract, was unchanged; the tables carry the rest.
Energy
| Contract | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Gas, NYMEX (Dec’26), $ per million Btu | 3.007 | +2.04% |
| Heating Oil ULSD, NYMEX (Dec’26), $ a gallon | 4.3717 | +0.45% |
| WTI Crude, NYMEX (Dec’26), $ a barrel | 90.65 | +0.14% |
| Brent Crude, ICE (Jan’27), $ a barrel | 98.20 | -0.09% |
| RBOB Gasoline, NYMEX (Dec’26), $ a gallon | 2.7585 | -0.18% |
Intraday quotes at 11:02 GMT against Thursday 5 November’s official settlements, settlement to snapshot, ranked by change on the unrounded values; Brent is quoted on its January 2027 contract.
Metals
| Contract | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum, NYMEX (Jan’27), $ an ounce | 1,520.50 | -0.12% |
| Copper, COMEX (Dec’26), $ a pound | 6.248 | -0.35% |
| Silver, COMEX (Dec’26), $ an ounce | 51.905 | -0.90% |
| Gold, COMEX (Dec’26), $ an ounce | 4,073.60 | -0.97% |
| Palladium, NYMEX (Dec’26), $ an ounce | 1,019.50 | -2.37% |
Same basis: intraday quotes at 11:02 GMT against Thursday’s official settlements, ranked by change.
Agriculture
| Contract | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Corn, CBOT (Dec’26), cents a bushel | 440.75 | +0.17% |
| Soybeans, CBOT (Jan’27), cents a bushel | 1,190.25 | +0.17% |
| Coffee, ICE (Mar’27), cents a pound | 269.25 | 0.00% |
| Cotton, ICE (Dec’26), cents a pound | 78.48 | -0.29% |
| Sugar, ICE (Mar’27), cents a pound | 18.35 | -1.13% |
| Wheat, CBOT (Dec’26), cents a bushel | 591.75 | -1.25% |
| Cocoa, ICE (Mar’27), $ a tonne | 5,197.00 | -1.76% |
Same basis, ranked by change on the unrounded values, which place corn above soybeans, with wheat quoted at 11:01 GMT; coffee moves to its March 2027 contract, against that contract’s own Thursday settlement.
Currencies, volatility and crypto
| Asset | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Cboe Volatility Index | 26.82 | -4.83% |
| Bitcoin, dollars | 75,872.10 | -0.21% |
| US Dollar Index (DXY) | 101.99 | +0.43% |
| Euro/Dollar | 1.1174 | -0.39% |
| Sterling/Dollar | 1.3394 | -0.41% |
| Dollar/Yen | 158.22 | +0.36% |
Quotes at 11:12 GMT, in fixed order; no daily settlement on these instruments, and changes are measured against the feed’s prior reference levels.
What to watch: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes its October employment report on Friday 6 November at 13:30 GMT.
Levels in the commodity tables are intraday quotes at 11:02 GMT as carried by the price feed, measured against Thursday 5 November’s official settlements as published; the currencies, volatility and crypto quotes are the feed’s at 11:12 GMT against its prior references; percentages and differences not attributed to a source are The Edge’s calculations.
How these wraps are prepared: Methodology.
Sources: Reuters, CNBC, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Edge.
