Gold Trading Hours Explained

1. What are the official trading hours for gold (XAU/USD)?

The gold market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. It opens at 10:00 PM on Sunday evening and closes at 9:00 PM on Friday evening, all in GMT. Be amongst the first to trade gold with a regulated broker.

2. When does the gold market open?

Gold trading begins at 10:00 PM GMT on Sunday evening, which corresponds to Monday morning in Asia, specifically 7:00 AM in Tokyo and 6:00 AM in Hong Kong. These hours reflect the global nature of the market, as trading moves from Asia to Europe to North America.

3. When does the gold market close?

Gold trading ends at 9:00 PM GMT on Friday evening, which corresponds to 5:00 PM in New York and early Saturday morning in Asia. After that, markets remain closed until the following Sunday night's reopening.

4.What are the gold trading times in my country?

The following table shows gold's trading hours in some of the world's largest cities:

To find gold's trading hours in your country, simply convert GMT times into your local time zone and adjust for daylight saving where applicable.

5. Can you trade gold (XAU/USD) on weekends?

No. The gold market operates 24 hours a day, five days a week. It closes for the weekend from Friday 9:00 PM GMT until Sunday 10:00 PM GMT. The price of gold may gap higher or lower when the market reopens, in response to financial or geopolitical events.

6. Is the gold market open 24 hours a day?

In practice, gold trading operates almost continuously throughout the week, but there are brief pauses each day for administrative and settlement purposes. Spot gold trading pauses for about one minute daily to mark the end of the trading day and determine the final settlement price.

On the CME Globex, gold futures trading closes for a one-hour maintenance break each day, beginning at 9:00 PM GMT. This allows the clearing house to perform end-of-day processes before reopening for the next session⁽¹⁾.

7. Are there breaks in gold trading during the day?

Yes, though they are short. Spot gold pauses for around one minute every day for price settlement. Gold futures, traded on CME Globex, experience a scheduled 60-minute break beginning at 9:00 PM GMT⁽¹⁾. During these pauses, traders cannot place new trades, but most retail brokers automatically resume operations once the session restarts.

8. Why does gold stop trading for an hour a day?

This one-hour pause mainly affects gold futures trading on the CME Globex platform. The break, starting at 9:00 PM GMT, allows for trade settlement, maintenance, and system checks before the next trading day begins⁽¹⁾. Spot gold, which reflects global interbank activity, remains mostly continuous apart from a brief one-minute daily pause to set that day's official closing price.

9. Why do different brokers show different trading hours for gold?

Most brokers and trading platforms perfectly match the 10 PM GMT "open" on Sunday, and 9 PM GMT "close" on Friday. This is the case with FxPro.com for example. However, some brokers will make you wait a little longer for operational or technical reasons. For example, gold trading is possible from 10:05 PM GMT on Sundays, and until 8:59 PM GMT on Fridays with AvaTrade.com.

10. What's the difference between gold trade and quote times?

If you trade through platforms like MetaTrader 4 or 5, you may have noticed references to "quote times" and "trading times". Quote times are the times of day when price quotes are available. Trade times are the times of day when your orders can be executed.

11. Where's gold's trading time in MetaTrader?

To find gold's quote and trade times in MetaTrader, i) right-click on XAU/USD in the platform's list of instruments, ii) click on 'Specifications', and iii) scroll to the bottom of the page.

12. What is the best time of day to trade gold (XAU/USD)?

The best time to trade gold is during major session overlaps, because liquidity is the highest tgen. The London – New York overlap (1:30 PM – 4:00 PM GMT) offers the tightest spreads and deepest liquidity. The Asia – London overlap (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM GMT) also offers trading opportunities earlier in the day.

13. What time does liquidity peak for gold?

Liquidity peaks when the London and New York trading sessions overlap, between 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM GMT approximately. During this period, both the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and COMEX are active, generating the deepest market depth and tightest spreads of the trading day⁽²⁾.

14. When is the best time to scalp or day trade gold?

Scalpers and short-term traders often focus on periods of high liquidity, such as the London – New York overlap (1:30 PM – 4:00 PM GMT). Conversely, the late US and early Asian sessions are typically quieter, with wider spreads and lower volume.

15. Does gold trade during major holidays like Christmas or New Year?

No. The gold market closes during major global holidays such as Christmas and New Year's Day. Trading volumes can also drop significantly in the days leading up to, and following these holidays. While electronic platforms may still display indicative quotes, order execution is usually disabled or restricted during these low-liquidity periods.

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