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Market hours
Gold Market Open Time: When Does Gold Open?
Gold market hours depend on the venue: there is no single gold market open time. The LBMA Gold Price is set in auctions that start at 10:30 and 15:00 London time. Spot gold trades over the counter, and futures exchanges, spot dealers and brokers each set their own session hours, so check the venue's contract specification.
In brief
When does the gold market open?
Gold trades in several places on several timetables. Here is the official benchmark timing, how it converts across time zones, and what to check before you trade.
Key takeaways
- Gold has no single opening time. Dealer trading, exchange futures and benchmark auctions each run on their own timetable.
- The LBMA Gold Price is set twice a day in auctions that start at 10:30 and 15:00 London time, according to the LBMA.
- Singapore is UTC+8, so the auctions fall at 17:30 and 22:00 Singapore time while London is on BST, and at 18:30 and 23:00 while London is on GMT.
- London and New York are usually five hours apart, but four hours apart in the weeks when only one has changed its clocks. Check the offset on the day you trade.
- Futures exchanges, spot dealers and brokers set their own session hours, breaks and holiday closures, so check the contract specification for the instrument you trade.
Why gold has no single opening time
Gold is traded in more than one place, and each has its own timetable. The LBMA describes the London precious metals market as over-the-counter (OTC). Gold futures are listed on exchanges, and each exchange sets the hours in its contract specification. Spot dealers and brokers set the session hours for the gold they quote. Benchmark prices are set in auctions that have published expected start times.
A question about the gold market open time therefore has no single answer. The useful question is which market you trade, and which hours apply to the instrument your broker gives you. For the wider background on the asset class, read what are commodities. For the general trading basics, start with what is trading.
Gold market open time: the LBMA auction times
According to the LBMA, the LBMA Gold Price is the global benchmark price for unallocated gold delivered in London, and it is administered by ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA). The LBMA states that the price is set twice a day in auctions, commencing at 10:30 and 15:00 London time. IBA says it operates electronic auctions for spot, unallocated loco London gold, and its timetable lists 10:30 and 15:00 London time as the expected auction start times for gold. IBA also says that, because the benchmarks are derived from the price of the final round of the auctions, they do not have set publication times.
Because the benchmark has published expected auction start times in London, it is one of the few gold timings that can be checked against an official source. It is a reference price, not a live quote you can trade on, and it does not show what your broker will charge you at the same moment. The table converts the two auction times to UTC, New York and Singapore for each clock period in 2026.
| Period and clocks | London (AM and PM) | UTC | New York | Singapore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January to 7 March 2026 (London GMT, New York standard time) | 10:30 and 15:00 | 10:30 and 15:00 | 05:30 and 10:00 | 18:30 and 23:00 |
| 8 to 28 March 2026 (London GMT, New York daylight saving time) | 10:30 and 15:00 | 10:30 and 15:00 | 06:30 and 11:00 | 18:30 and 23:00 |
| 29 March to 24 October 2026 (London BST, New York daylight saving time) | 10:30 and 15:00 | 09:30 and 14:00 | 05:30 and 10:00 | 17:30 and 22:00 |
| 25 to 31 October 2026 (London GMT, New York daylight saving time) | 10:30 and 15:00 | 10:30 and 15:00 | 06:30 and 11:00 | 18:30 and 23:00 |
| 1 November to 31 December 2026 (London GMT, New York standard time) | 10:30 and 15:00 | 10:30 and 15:00 | 05:30 and 10:00 | 18:30 and 23:00 |
Verified on 9 November 2026. Auction times are from the LBMA and ICE Benchmark Administration. Offsets used: BST is UTC+1 and GMT is UTC+0; New York is UTC-5 on standard time and UTC-4 on daylight saving time; Singapore is UTC+8. Clock dates are from GOV.UK (UK) and NIST (US). The times shown are expected auction start times, not publication times, and they are converted arithmetically; they are not trading hours.
Converting gold market hours to your time zone
Time zone gaps change with daylight saving. London and New York are normally five hours apart. For the weeks when only one country has moved its clocks, the gap is four hours. NIST gives the 2026 US daylight saving period as 8 March to 1 November, and GOV.UK gives the 2026 UK changes as 29 March and 25 October, with British Summer Time (BST) one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
New York is in the eastern standard time zone, which US federal regulations call the second zone. US law sets the standard time of that zone at Coordinated Universal Time retarded by 5 hours, so New York is UTC-5 on standard time and UTC-4 during daylight saving time.
Example: on 28 October 2026 the US was still on daylight saving time, while London had already returned to GMT. A London time of 10:30 that day is 06:30 in New York. On 9 November 2026 the same London time is 05:30 in New York, because both places are now on standard time. The same clock time gives a different New York time, so check the date as well as the hour.
Singapore is simpler. A*STAR's National Metrology Centre, the timekeeper of Singapore Standard Time, states that the time is generated by advancing UTC(SG) by 8 hours. With London on BST, the auctions fall at 17:30 and 22:00 in Singapore. With London on GMT, they fall at 18:30 and 23:00, so the Singapore time moves only when London changes its clocks.
A trader who uses a platform clock should confirm whether that clock follows daylight saving and which time zone it shows. A clock set to a fixed offset will be an hour out for part of the year in some cases. Converting from UTC, which does not change, avoids most of this confusion.
Futures and broker hours can differ
Gold futures hours are set by the exchange that lists the contract, in its own contract specifications and calendar. Check those for the contract you trade, including any weekly open, daily break and holiday closure, before you rely on a futures session. This page does not list futures session times, so use the exchange's official specification.
Spot dealers and brokers set their own session hours for gold instruments, including spot metal and CFDs, and the opening time each week depends on that venue. The broker may also run its own maintenance break, close early on some holidays and trigger stop orders on its own price. The gold contract a broker quotes is not always the same as the futures contract on an exchange, so read the instrument details the broker gives you.
Holiday closures add another layer. The stock market holidays guide explains how exchange closures work for equities, and the principle is the same for other markets. Scheduled economic releases can also change the trading environment, so check the economic calendar for the times of the releases you follow.
What to check before you trade gold
- The instrument: spot, futures and CFD products can differ in hours, settlement and contract size.
- The venue calendar: the exchange or broker calendar for the day, including holidays and early closes.
- The break: any daily maintenance break, and whether it applies to the gold instrument you trade.
- The clock: the time zone on your platform, and whether it changes for daylight saving.
- The order rules: how stop and limit orders are triggered, and what happens when the market reopens.
The LBMA auction start times are a published reference. They are not the same as your broker's live price, and they do not tell you when your order will fill. Treat them as one input when you plan a session.
Risk disclosure
- Trading hours are not the same as liquidity. Thin trading around a break, a holiday or an early close can widen spreads and move prices sharply.
- A benchmark auction price is a reference. It is not a price you can expect to receive, and your fill can differ from it.
- Markets can reopen at a different level after a break or closure. A stop order can then fill well away from its trigger, as explained in what is a stop loss order.
- Daylight saving changes the local time of every session you follow. It is easy to trade at the wrong hour after a clock change.
- Gold can move sharply. This page is educational information, not personal financial advice, and it does not forecast prices.
RTX5 status
RTX5 is Orrnn's trading terminal and broker-technology product. Its Windows desktop client is in preview, and the web and mobile clients are planned. A Google Play listing for Android is published, but the mobile client has no approved release record yet; check the product-availability record before relying on any RTX5 feature. This page does not describe an RTX5 feature for market hours, exchange holidays or an economic calendar, so do not assume the product shows them.
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Primary references
Sources were checked on 9 November 2026. They explain market rules and concepts; they do not certify RTX5 or provide individual financial advice.
LBMA: Precious metal pricesStates that the LBMA Gold Price is set twice daily in auctions independently operated and administered by ICE Benchmark Administration, commencing at 10:30 and 15:00 London time; calls the LBMA prices the global benchmark prices for unallocated metal delivered in London; and refers to the London OTC precious metals market. Checked 9 November 2026.ICE Benchmark Administration: LBMA Gold and Silver PriceSays IBA operates electronic auctions for spot, unallocated loco London gold, that the auctions are run at 10:30 and 15:00 London time for gold, and lists those as the expected auction start times. Checked 9 November 2026.NIST: Daylight Saving TimeGives the US rule (second Sunday of March to first Sunday of November), states that in 2026 daylight saving time runs from 8 March to 1 November, and lists the places that do not observe it (New York is not among them). Checked 9 November 2026.GOV.UK: When do the clocks changeGives the UK clock change dates (29 March and 25 October 2026; 28 March 2027) and explains that BST is one hour ahead and that the UK is on GMT when the clocks go back. Checked 9 November 2026.A*STAR National Metrology Centre: Time and FrequencyStates that NMC is the timekeeper of Singapore Standard Time and that Singapore Standard Time is generated by advancing UTC(SG) by 8 hours. Supports the Singapore column. Checked 9 November 2026.US Code, 15 U.S.C. 261 (govinfo)Sets the standard time of the second US zone at Coordinated Universal Time retarded by 5 hours; 49 CFR 71.4, linked in the text, names the second zone the eastern standard time zone. Supports the New York offset. Checked 9 November 2026.
Questions readers ask
What time does the gold market open?
No single time applies. Spot gold is traded over the counter, futures follow the calendar of the exchange that lists them, and the LBMA benchmark auctions start at 10:30 and 15:00 London time. Spot dealers and brokers set their own session hours, so the weekly opening time depends on the venue. Check its contract specification.
When is the LBMA gold price set?
According to the LBMA, the LBMA Gold Price is set twice a day in auctions, commencing at 10:30 and 15:00 London time. ICE Benchmark Administration administers the benchmark and runs the electronic auctions. The benchmark is a reference price, so it does not promise the price your broker will fill.
What time is the LBMA gold auction in Singapore and New York?
From 29 March to 24 October 2026, with London on BST, the auctions were at 17:30 and 22:00 in Singapore and 05:30 and 10:00 in New York. From 25 October 2026, with London on GMT, they are at 18:30 and 23:00 in Singapore. New York was at 06:30 and 11:00 from 25 to 31 October, while the US was still on daylight saving time, and is at 05:30 and 10:00 from 1 November.
Do gold futures and gold CFDs have the same hours?
Not necessarily. Futures hours are set by the exchange that lists the contract, while CFD and broker spot hours may be set by the broker. Read the contract specification or the broker's instrument details, and check its daily break and holiday schedule before you trade.
Does RTX5 show gold market hours or exchange holidays?
This page does not describe an RTX5 feature for market hours, exchange holidays or an economic calendar, so do not assume the product shows them. RTX5's Windows desktop client is in preview, and the web and mobile clients are planned. A Google Play listing for Android is published, but the mobile client has no approved release record yet. Check the product availability record before relying on any feature.
Can I use the LBMA auction time as my order time?
No. The auction time is a reference time for a benchmark. It is not a time when your broker will fill an order at a fixed price. Your execution depends on your broker's live prices, the liquidity available, and the order type you choose. This is educational information, not personal financial advice.
Keep learning
Economic calendarHow scheduled economic releases work and why their timing matters for planning a session.Stock market holidaysHow exchange holiday closures and early closes change the trading calendar.What are commodities?What commodities are, how they are traded, and why gold is treated differently from many stocks.What is a stop loss order?How stop orders trigger, and why a reopening market can fill far from the stop price.What is trading?The basics of trading instruments, orders and risk.