Gold trades almost around the clock from Sunday evening to Friday evening, New York time, but liquidity and volatility are far from constant. Knowing which session you are trading in helps you set realistic targets and stops and avoid entering just before a quiet spell.
When is the gold market open?
Spot gold (XAUUSD) trades nearly 24 hours a day, five days a week. Most brokers open on Sunday at around 18:00 New York time and close on Friday at 17:00, with a short daily break around 17:00 New York time. Exact hours differ by a few minutes between brokers, so check the symbol specification on your platform.
The three main gold trading sessions
Asian session
Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney set the tone. This is often the calmest part of the day for gold, with tighter ranges. Those ranges can become useful reference levels once London opens.
London session
London is the centre of the global physical gold market, and volume rises quickly at the London open around 08:00 London time. The LBMA gold price is set in auctions at 10:30 and 15:00 London time. New trends for the day often start here.
New York session
New York brings the COMEX gold futures market and most of the US economic data. Jobs, inflation and GDP reports are usually released at 8:30 New York time, and Federal Reserve decisions at 14:00. These releases can move gold by several dollars in minutes.
The London and New York overlap
The few hours when London and New York are both open, roughly 13:00 to 17:00 London time, are usually the most active of the day for XAUUSD. Liquidity is highest, spreads are usually tightest and the major US data releases fall inside this window. It is also when the largest candles of the day tend to print.
How to use sessions in your trading plan
- Match your stop to the session: a stop that fits the Asian range may be too tight during US data.
- Check the economic calendar before the New York open.
- Be careful around the daily break and the Friday close, when spreads can widen.
- Avoid opening a new trade seconds before a major US release unless that is part of your strategy.
- Use the live gold market hours clock to see which session is open in your time zone.
Key takeaway
Gold is open almost all week, but it does not behave the same way all day. Plan your trades around the London open, the London and New York overlap and the US data calendar, and adjust your stop distance and position size to the session you are trading.