Iran Market Pulse: Friday Midday, August 7, 2026; Gold and Silver Jump Ahead of the US Jobs Report as Gold Hits $4,289

Lead

At midday on Friday, 16 Mordad 1405 (August 7, 2026), the Tehran Stock Exchange's second weekly closed day, the story on the global board is silver, not gold: spot silver jumped about 3.4% to near $63.70 an ounce by 10:30am Tehran time, while spot gold rose about 1.1% to $4,289, extending yesterday's seven week high. Both metals are positioned ahead of today's big event: the US July employment report, due at 16:00 Tehran time (8:30am ET), which could sharpen the outlook for Federal Reserve rate policy in the weeks ahead. Meanwhile Brent crude traded near $83.40 as Strait of Hormuz tensions persisted.

Today at a Glance

The figures below, each with its own timestamp:

Today's Top Headlines

• Tehran's TEDPIX benchmark rose 2.47% on Wednesday, 14 Mordad, crossing 5.4 million points for the first time to close at 5,407,902; Donya-e-Eqtesad reported nearly 12 trillion tomans (about $2.4 billion) of retail money flowed in over two trading days.
• Bloomberg, citing preliminary US Department of Energy data released August 5, reported that US crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia hit zero in July for the first time since 1985.
• S&P Global said Wednesday, 14 Mordad, that the UAE's non-oil PMI climbed to 52.7 in July, the highest since March 2026, with employment growing despite regional tensions.
• Shafaq News reported the dollar closed higher in Baghdad and Erbil Thursday at around 153,000 dinars per 100 dollars, while 21-karat gold rose to 920,000 dinars a mithqal the same day.
• Eghtesad Online reported Tehran's car market entered a mild price correction today, Friday, as the currency market calmed; Iran Khodro's Samand Soren Plus XU7P fell 2 million tomans.

Currency

The free market dollar stood at 188,020 tomans on Thursday evening (15 Mordad, 4:59pm), essentially unchanged from the day before, with the official "agreed" rate in the same range at 188,005 tomans; the gap between the two has narrowed to under 20 tomans. On the more official channel, the Exchange Center's NIMA-linked dollar traded this Friday morning near 154,220 tomans on the sell side and 152,830 tomans on the buy side, a still sizeable gap of roughly 34,000 tomans from the free market rate. Eghtesad Online reported that today's calmer currency market was one factor behind the car price correction. President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a televised interview Thursday night (carried by Mizan and Donya-e-Eqtesad), said the government must raise the kalabarg food subsidy card amount because the exchange rate has risen, an indication that recent FX pressure remains on the policy agenda. The USD price page tracks the live rate.

Gold and Coin

Global gold moved higher again today: spot gold rose about 1.1% to $4,289 by 10:30am Tehran time, per our own data and confirmed by Trading Economics ($4,285.72, up 1.08%) and Alanchand ($4,288.93), extending yesterday's (Thursday, 15 Mordad) seven week high of $4,262.17; gold's all-time high remains far off near $5,608.35, set in January 2026. Silver is today's leader: spot silver jumped 3.4% (confirmed by Alanchand at 3.26%) to near $63.70, more than triple gold's gain. Trading Economics reported that Chinese institutional investors continue building long positions in gold-backed assets, with central bank buying also continuing. Domestically, 18-karat retail gold stood at 18,578,200 tomans per gram Thursday evening (up 0.09%), and the Emami gold coin reached 185,020,000 tomans (up 0.55%). The domestic story of the day, though, is the coin premium: the Emami coin's premium shrank 36.9% from its prior reading to about 2,686,000 tomans, meaning that even as global gold rallies, the gap between the coin's market price and its intrinsic value has narrowed. Yesterday's Thursday Market Pulse tracked this same gold rally closely.

Stocks

The Tehran Stock Exchange is closed today, Friday, as it is every Friday. The last trading session was Wednesday, 14 Mordad, when TEDPIX rose 2.47% (130,549 points) to cross the 5.4 million mark for the first time, closing at 5,407,902, a record topping the previous high set on 16 Tir. The equal-weight index rose 2.45% to its own all-time high of 1,534,561. Sahmino's own data shows net retail inflows that day topped 21,884 billion rials. The exchange reopens Saturday, 17 Mordad.

Crypto

Bitcoin traded near $64,292 as of 10:26am today, down 0.29%; CoinGecko confirms a close figure ($64,351). The world's largest cryptocurrency has stalled against $65,000 resistance for two days and, like gold and silver, is awaiting today's US July jobs report at 16:00 Tehran time, which could shift bets on Fed rate policy and, with it, risk appetite in crypto; more detail in Sahmino's report from yesterday. Ethereum edged down 0.21% to near $1,903. Tether traded at 188,165 tomans on domestic exchanges at 10:28am today, down 0.29%, roughly tracking the calm in the free market dollar.

Iron and Steel

The rebar market is quiet in today's weekly holiday; the latest recorded factory price for Arian Steel's A3 10mm rebar stands at 74,090 tomans. On the global board, hot rolled coil (HRC) steel edged down 0.08% to $1,197 this morning. Tehran Exchange refining and petro-refining stocks (Shapna, Shabandar, Shatran, Tapico, Parsan) each gained about 3% in Wednesday's last session, tracking firmer global oil prices.

Cars

Eghtesad Online reported that Tehran's car market moved into a mild price correction today, Friday 16 Mordad, as political risk eased, hopes grew for continued diplomacy, and the currency market calmed. Among Iran Khodro products, the Samand Soren Plus XU7P fell 2 million tomans to 1.57 billion tomans, while the automatic panorama Peugeot 207 dropped 17 million tomans to 2.58 billion tomans. Separately, President Pezeshkian said in his Thursday night television interview (carried by Ecoiran) that the divestiture of Saipa and several other companies, following the earlier Iran Khodro privatization, is now on the government's agenda, news that could affect both automakers' shares and pricing in the days ahead.

Building Materials

Bulk Portland Type 2 cement held steady at 3,937,000 tomans in Tehran and 3,593,000 tomans in Abyek, with Saveh's plant remaining the cheapest tracked supplier at 260,000 tomans for a 50kg bag; no notable move in factory rates was recorded during today's holiday.

Regional and Global Outlook

Brent crude rose 0.7% this Friday morning, per Trading Economics, to above $83 as Strait of Hormuz tensions continued; Al Jazeera reported Thursday that even as Iran and Oman near an agreement on shipping route coordinates, the core dispute over a fee system for transiting vessels remains unresolved. Brent crude now trades near $83.40. The dollar index (DXY) is essentially flat today at 99.97. Among regional currencies, the Turkish lira weakened 0.2% against the dollar today to 47.71 per dollar; Shafaq News reported the dollar closed Thursday in Baghdad and Erbil near 153,000 dinars per 100 dollars, up from the prior session, while the Chinese yuan held relatively steady near 6.75 per dollar. In the Persian Gulf, the UAE's non-oil PMI climbed to a four-month high of 52.7 in July, a sign of returning business confidence in the region's trade hub despite recent tensions. Bloomberg also reported that US oil imports from Saudi Arabia hit zero for a full month for the first time since 1985, a shift pushing crude trade flows further toward Asia.

Takeaway

Today was silver's day, not gold's: silver's 3.4% gain against gold's 1% shows money on the global board rotating toward the cheaper, more volatile metal, while at home a calmer dollar and a shrinking coin premium have also eased pricing pressure on cars. One thing to remember today: at 16:00 Tehran time, the US jobs report lands and could shake up every inch of this relative calm within hours.

What to Watch Today

• The US monthly jobs report (July data) is due at 16:00 Tehran time today; the unemployment rate and nonfarm payrolls growth could set the path for gold, the dollar and bitcoin through the end of the week.
• The Tehran Stock Exchange reopens Saturday, 17 Mordad, after its two day closure; the market's reaction to Wednesday's index record will be an early test.
• The Strait of Hormuz process and Iran-Oman technical talks over a fee system for transiting vessels remain the main driver of oil volatility.