The short answer
If you can’t trade gold right now, the market is probably closed. XAUUSD trades from Sunday 6:00 pm to Friday 5:00 pm New York time, with a one-hour break every weekday from 5:00 to 6:00 pm New York time, and closes or shortens around holidays. If the market is open and you still can’t trade, the cause is your symbol (wrong suffix, close-only mode) or your login (read-only password, account restriction).
Check the live status in your time zone on the gold market hours tool, then work through the seven checks below.
The 7 checks, in order
| # | Check | Typical message | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weekend | Market closed, no price movement | Wait for Sunday 6:00 pm New York time |
| 2 | Daily break | Market closed for about an hour | Wait for 6:00 pm New York time |
| 3 | Holiday | Market closed or early close | Check the broker’s holiday notice |
| 4 | Clock change | Closed an hour “early” or “late” | Recalculate local times |
| 5 | Symbol trade mode | Trade disabled / close only | Use the right symbol; check Specification |
| 6 | Login or account | Trade disabled, buttons greyed | Master password; contact broker |
| 7 | Connection | No connection, frozen prices | Re-login, check server |
1. The weekend
Gold closes at 5:00 pm New York time on Friday and reopens at 6:00 pm on Sunday: 49 hours without trading.
| Your time zone | Closes Friday (US summer) | Reopens (US summer) | Closes (US winter) | Reopens (US winter) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | 21:00 | Sun 22:00 | 22:00 | Sun 23:00 |
| London | 22:00 | Sun 23:00 | 22:00 | Sun 23:00 |
| Dubai | Sat 01:00 | Mon 02:00 | Sat 02:00 | Mon 03:00 |
| India (IST) | Sat 02:30 | Mon 03:30 | Sat 03:30 | Mon 04:30 |
| Singapore | Sat 05:00 | Mon 06:00 | Sat 06:00 | Mon 07:00 |
The full weekend timetable for ten time zones is in does gold trade on weekends. The reopening often comes with a gap; see gold Monday gaps for real sizes.
2. The daily break (rollover)
Every Monday to Thursday, gold pauses from 5:00 to 6:00 pm New York time. That is 21:00 to 22:00 UTC in US summer and 22:00 to 23:00 UTC in winter, or 02:30 to 03:30 IST (summer) and 03:30 to 04:30 IST (winter). Many brokers stop accepting orders a few minutes before and open a few minutes after.
In our two years of hourly COMEX data, the hour just before the break was the quietest of the day (median range $7.60 against $13.00 for an average hour), and spreads widen around it. Read gold spread widening at rollover.
3. Holidays
| Date | Holiday | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 26 Nov 2026 | US Thanksgiving | Shortened session; thin Friday 27 Nov |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Typically closed |
| Thu 31 Dec 2026 | New Year’s Eve | Often thin; early close at some brokers |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year’s Day | Typically closed |
Other US holidays such as Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day also shorten or close sessions. Your broker sends exact hours a few days ahead.
4. Clock changes
Gold’s hours are fixed in New York time. US clocks go back on Sunday 1 November 2026, so from Monday 2 November the daily break moves from 21:00 to 22:00 UTC, and from 02:30 to 03:30 IST. The UK changed a week earlier, on 25 October, so for that one week London times are an hour different from usual. If gold seems to close “early”, a clock change is the likely reason. The market hours tool adjusts automatically.
5. Symbol trade mode
Right-click your gold symbol in Market Watch → Specification → Trade mode:
- Full access: normal.
- Long only / Short only: one direction blocked.
- Close only: you can close but not open; common for futures-based gold CFDs near expiry.
- Disabled: no trading on this symbol for your account.
If you see several gold symbols, you may be using one meant for another account type. See gold symbol names.
6. Your login or account
- Logged in with the investor password? Everything is read-only. Use the master password.
- Account unverified, expired demo, or restricted? Contact your broker.
- Margin too low? You’ll get “not enough money” rather than “market closed”; see MT5 gold errors.
7. Connection
Check the connection indicator at the bottom right of MT4/MT5. If it shows “No connection” or the prices are frozen while the market is open, use File → Login to Trade Account and check the server name, or restart the platform.
A worked example (illustrative)
It’s Tuesday 3 November 2026, 03:45 IST in Mumbai. A trader tries to buy gold and gets “market closed”. Last week at this time gold was trading. The reason: US clocks went back on 1 November, so the daily break now runs 03:30 to 04:30 IST. At 04:30 IST trading resumes, and the spread is usually wide for the first minutes, so waiting a little longer is sensible.
A 30-second decision flow
- Prices not moving at all? It’s the weekend, the daily break, a holiday or a connection problem. Check the market hours tool and the connection indicator.
- Prices moving, but the Buy and Sell buttons are grey? It’s your login or the symbol’s trade mode. Check the password type and Specification → Trade mode.
- Prices moving, buttons work, but you get an error? Read the message: “not enough money”, “invalid volume” and “invalid stops” each have their own fix in MT5 gold errors explained.
- It worked yesterday at this time? Think clock change or holiday first.
How to prevent it
- Keep the market hours tool bookmarked; it shows open, closed and the countdown in your zone.
- Check the gold economic calendar each morning for releases and holiday-thin days.
- Put the daily break and weekend close in your time zone in your trading plan, and update it in March and November.
- Save your broker’s holiday emails in one folder.
More quick fixes are in gold trading problems solved.
Never miss the session again
Traders in the XAUUSD Global community post the day’s session times, holiday hours and calendar every morning. The first month is free, then $19.99 a month.
Educational content only, not financial advice. Trading gold with leverage carries a high risk of loss. Hours shown are standard COMEX/spot hours; your broker’s may differ.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I trade gold right now?
Most often because the market is closed: the weekend (Friday 5:00 pm to Sunday 6:00 pm New York time), the daily break (5:00 to 6:00 pm New York time on weekdays) or a holiday. If the market is open, check that you’re using the right gold symbol for your account and that you’re logged in with your trading password.
What time does gold reopen after the daily break?
At 6:00 pm New York time, one hour after the 5:00 pm close. That is 22:00 UTC in US summer and 23:00 UTC in US winter. Many brokers open a few minutes later than the exchange.
Why is the gold market closed when forex is open?
Gold and currencies have slightly different hours at many brokers. Gold has a one-hour daily break that some currency pairs don’t, and it can close earlier on holidays. Check the session times in your symbol’s Specification.
Why did gold close an hour early or late this week?
Clock changes. Gold’s hours are fixed in New York time, so when the US changes its clocks and your country doesn’t (or changes on a different date), the local time shifts by an hour. In 2026 US clocks go back on Sunday 1 November.
Is gold open on Thanksgiving and Christmas?
On US Thanksgiving (Thursday 26 November 2026) gold usually trades on a shortened schedule, with thin trading on the Friday after. Christmas Day (Friday 25 December 2026) and New Year’s Day (Friday 1 January 2027) are typically closed. Your broker publishes exact hours shortly before each holiday.
Why can I see gold prices but not trade?
You may be logged in with the investor (read-only) password, using a symbol suffix for another account type, or the symbol may be in close-only mode. The price feed works for all of these, but trading doesn’t.
Sources and further reading
- CME Group — Gold futures overview — Contract specifications and trading hours for COMEX gold
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 2026 release calendar — Official dates for CPI and jobs reports (8:30 a.m. Eastern)
- MetaTrader 5 Help — Trading operations: basic principles — Order types, and which price (bid or ask) triggers each order and stop
External sites are independent of XAUUSD Global. Check dates and data yourself.