Guide · 3 min read

Gold futures market hours: session times, the daily break and holidays

Short answer: Gold futures trade from Sunday 6:00 pm to Friday 5:00 pm New York time, with a one-hour break from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm New York time on Monday to Thursday. The daily settlement price is set around 1:30 pm New York time, and holidays shorten or close the market.

Published: 24 October 2026.

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This guide is only about the clock. For the contract, tick value, expiry and margin, see gold futures: how they work. For the three sessions and the busiest hours, see gold trading hours.

The times, in New York time

Sunday: opens at 6:00 pm.
Monday to Thursday: trades until 5:00 pm, breaks for one hour, reopens at 6:00 pm.
Friday: closes at 5:00 pm, and nothing trades until Sunday evening.
Settlement: around 1:30 pm, each trading day.

The exchange keeps these hours in New York time all year, so they do not move when New York changes its clocks. Your own clock does.

The same hours in your time zone

| New York | UTC (New York on standard time) | UTC (New York on summer time) |

|---|---|---|

| 6:00 pm, open | 11:00 pm | 10:00 pm |

| 1:30 pm, settlement | 6:30 pm | 5:30 pm |

| 5:00 pm, break or close | 10:00 pm | 9:00 pm |

Add your own offset from UTC to read your local time. A place that keeps the same clock all year sees the open move by an hour when New York changes. The US and the UK change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks each spring and autumn London is four hours ahead of New York instead of five.

What the daily break does

Between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm New York time nothing trades on the exchange. Brokers that price XAUUSD from futures usually stop quoting at the same time, so the spread can be wide just before the break and just after it. A stop placed close to the price can be filled far away on the reopen. Our spread guide shows why, and the swap guide explains the overnight charge that is booked at this time.

Holidays

On US holidays the exchange either stays closed or shortens the day, and the reopen can be later than usual. It publishes the full schedule each year, and it commonly closes for New Year's Day, Good Friday and Christmas Day, with early closes around other US holidays. Brokers copy these changes for their own gold quotes, but not always at the same minute. Look up the schedule before you plan to hold a trade over a holiday, and use the economic calendar for the data releases that fall around it.

Your broker's version

The broker's XAUUSD may follow the futures hours closely or keep its own. Read the Sessions list in the symbol's Specification window, as described in gold trading hours, and note that it is shown on the broker's server clock, not yours.

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FAQ

What are the gold futures market hours?

Electronic trading opens on Sunday at 6:00 pm New York time and closes on Friday at 5:00 pm New York time. From Monday to Thursday there is a one-hour break from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm New York time.

What time do gold futures open on Sunday?

At 6:00 pm New York time. That is 11:00 pm UTC while New York is on standard time and 10:00 pm UTC while it is on summer time.

When is the gold futures daily break?

From 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm New York time, Monday to Thursday. Trading stops, orders cannot be filled, and the day's accounts are rolled over.

When does gold futures settle each day?

The daily settlement price is set in the early afternoon, around 1:30 pm New York time. It is the price the exchange uses to value open positions. It is not the end of trading.

Are gold futures open on holidays?

Often with shorter hours or closed. The exchange publishes a holiday schedule each year, and it usually closes for New Year's Day, Good Friday and Christmas Day. Check it before you hold a trade over a US holiday.

Why do the hours shift in my own time zone twice a year?

The exchange keeps New York time, and New York changes its clocks. If your country changes on other dates, or not at all, the open and close move by an hour in your local time.

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An educational tool. It is not investment advice. Trading leveraged products such as gold CFDs carries a high risk of losing money, and you can lose all of it.

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Gold futures market hours: session times, the daily break and holidays

The times, in New York time

The same hours in your time zone

What the daily break does

Holidays

Your broker's version

FAQ

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