Trading hours
Gold typically trades from Sunday 23:00 UK to Friday 22:00 UK, with a one hour break each day from 22:00 to 23:00 UK (one hour earlier in the US and UK clock change gap weeks).
| When | UK time | New York time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly open (Sunday) | 23:00 (22:00 in the gap weeks) | 18:00 ET Sunday | COMEX futures reopen on CME Globex. Many CFD brokers open XAUUSD at 01:01 server time on Monday, which is the same moment. |
| Daily break | 22:00 to 23:00 (21:00 to 22:00 in the gap weeks) | 17:00 to 18:00 ET, Monday to Thursday | No prices print. Spreads (the gap between buy and sell prices) are often wide around it. |
| Daily close (new trading day starts) | 22:00 (21:00 in the gap weeks) | 17:00 ET | The daily candle on most broker charts closes here. |
| Friday close | 22:00 (21:00 in the gap weeks; CFDs typically stop a few minutes earlier) | 17:00 ET Friday | Many CFD brokers stop at 23:55 server time, about 21:55 UK. |
| LBMA Gold Price auctions | 10:30 and 15:00 | 05:30 and 10:00 ET | London business days only. Auction times are fixed to London's clock. |
| Busiest hours | 13:30 to 16:30 | 08:30 to 11:30 ET | US data at 13:30 UK and the overlap of London and New York typically bring the largest candles. |
Most of the year London is 5 hours ahead of New York, so the UK times above hold. The US and UK change clocks on different Sundays: in 2026 the US moved forward on 8 March and the UK on 29 March, and the UK moved back on 25 October and the US on 1 November. In those gap weeks (roughly the second half of March and the last week of October) London is only 4 hours ahead, so every New York based time on this page happens one hour earlier on a UK clock. In 2027 the gaps run from 14 to 28 March and from 31 October to 7 November. The LBMA auctions stay at 10:30 and 15:00 London time all year. Times on your broker's chart follow its server clock, which is often set to GMT+2 in winter and GMT+3 in summer so that the daily candle closes at 17:00 New York time. Check your broker's own contract page.
What is Gold (XAUUSD)?
XAUUSD shows how many US dollars one troy ounce of gold costs. There is no single exchange for spot gold. It trades between banks and dealers around the world (the over the counter market, centred on London), and gold futures trade on COMEX, part of CME Group, in New York. Your broker's XAUUSD price comes from these markets.
Twice each London business day, at 10:30 and 15:00 London time, an electronic auction run by ICE Benchmark Administration sets the LBMA Gold Price, the reference price used across the industry. Between those auctions the price moves continuously with buying and selling across the world. Because gold pays no interest and is priced in dollars, it reacts strongly to US interest rate expectations and to the dollar itself.
The trading sessions
Typically quieter. Buying from Asian markets can push gold steadily, but candles are usually smaller.
Activity rises at the London open and around the 10:30 auction. Overnight highs and lows are often tested.
Typically the busiest window for gold, with US data at 13:30 UK and the 15:00 UK afternoon auction.
Large moves around US data and Federal Reserve news. Activity usually fades after about 18:00 UK.
Contract facts
Gold is quoted in dollars per ounce, usually to two decimals. On this page one point means a move of 1.00 in the price (for example from 2,500.00 to 2,501.00). Some brokers call that 10 pips or 100 pips, so check what your platform calls it.
1 standard lot = 100 troy ounces at most CFD brokers. Some brokers use other sizes, so check the contract specification.
A 1 point move (1.00 in the price) on 1 standard lot of 100 ounces is worth 100 US dollars. On 0.01 lots it is worth 1 US dollar.
COMEX Gold futures (GC) on CME Group: 100 troy ounces per contract, minimum move 0.10 per ounce. Micro Gold futures (MGC) are 10 troy ounces.
How far it usually moves
Varies with conditions; check the Average daily range indicator on WickSpeak for the current figure. We have not published a fixed number because we could not verify one from an official source.
What moves Gold (XAUUSD)
US interest rate expectations: gold pays no interest, so it tends to fall when expected US rates rise and rise when they fall.
The US dollar: gold is priced in dollars, so a stronger dollar tends to weigh on XAUUSD.
Real yields (US bond yields after inflation): when they rise, holding gold tends to look less attractive.
Fear and uncertainty: wars, crises and market sell offs often bring buyers into gold as a safe place to park money.
Central bank buying: large purchases by central banks add steady demand.
Inflation data: higher than expected inflation can move gold either way, depending on how traders think the Federal Reserve will respond.
Physical demand: jewellery and investment buying, especially from China and India.
Scheduled events to watch
What it tends to move with
US dollar index (DXY): gold tends to move the opposite way to the dollar, though both can rise together in a crisis.
US 10 year real yields: gold has tended to move against real yields over months, but the link has weakened at times.
Silver (XAGUSD): silver tends to move in the same direction as gold, usually with larger percentage swings.
US stock indices: in sharp sell offs gold sometimes rises while US30 and NAS100 fall, but this is not reliable day to day.
Tips for trading Gold (XAUUSD)
Mark the Asian session high and low before London opens. A break and close above the Asian high is a long idea; a close back inside the Asian range proves it wrong.
Avoid opening new trades in the minutes before 13:30 UK on US data days. If you trade the reaction, wait for the first 5 minute candle to close and treat a close back through its midpoint as the idea failing.
Size your stop in points from structure (a recent swing high or low), not from money. If the stop needs to be wider than the day's average range, the trade is too big for the setup.
Watch the previous day's high and low. A rejection candle at the previous day high is a short idea; a close above that high proves it wrong.
Expect wider spreads around 22:00 to 23:00 UK. Stops placed too close can be hit by the spread alone during the daily break.
On Fridays, consider whether you want to hold through the weekend. Gold can open on Sunday at a different price from Friday's close (a gap).
Connect a cTrader account once and gold appears on WickSpeak at your broker's own prices. Trades are placed only from a Playbook play where you switch live trading on; otherwise WickSpeak just reads the chart. Turn on key levels to see the previous day high and low, pivot points, round numbers and average daily range levels, each with how many points away it is. Every indicator writes a plain-English reading on the live candle, including what would prove it wrong.
Related markets
Sources: cmegroup.com, help.metrotrade.com, help.metrotrade.com, lbma.org.uk, pepperstone.com, bls.gov, federalreserve.gov. Checked 2026-11-05. Broker hours follow your broker's server clock and can differ.
Questions traders ask
What time does gold open on Sunday in the UK?
Gold typically opens at 23:00 UK time on Sunday, which is 18:00 in New York. In the few weeks when the US and UK clocks change on different dates, it opens at 22:00 UK. Your broker may show this as 01:00 on Monday on its server clock.
What time does gold close on Friday?
Gold futures close at 17:00 New York time on Friday, which is 22:00 UK for most of the year. Many CFD brokers stop a few minutes earlier, around 21:55 UK. Trading resumes on Sunday evening.
Does gold trade 24 hours a day?
Almost. Gold trades around the clock from Sunday evening to Friday evening, except for a one hour daily break from 17:00 to 18:00 New York time (22:00 to 23:00 UK). It does not trade at weekends.
What is the best time to trade gold in the UK?
Typically 13:30 to 16:30 UK, when London and New York are both open and US economic data is released. Movement is usually larger then, which also means spreads and risk can rise around releases. The Asian session is usually quieter.
How much is 1 point on gold worth?
On a standard lot of 100 ounces, a 1.00 move in the gold price is worth 100 US dollars. On 0.10 lots it is 10 dollars and on 0.01 lots it is 1 dollar. Check your broker's contract size, as a few use different lot sizes.