Symbol suffix in gold trading

A symbol suffix is a letter, dot or word added to the standard symbol name, for example XAUUSD.m, XAUUSD+, XAUUSDc or XAUUSD.raw. Some platforms use GOLD instead of XAUUSD altogether. The suffix usually identifies the account type the symbol belongs to, such as micro, cent, raw or standard.

How it applies to gold trading

The suffix matters in three places. First, finding the symbol: if XAUUSD does not appear in Market Watch, searching for “XAU” or “GOLD” shows the variant your account uses. Second, contract size: a cent or micro suffix can mean a different contract size or account currency, which changes pip value and lot sizing. Third, automation: expert advisors and indicators that look for “XAUUSD” exactly will fail to find “XAUUSD.m” unless the symbol name is set correctly.

Charting sites use their own naming, usually a data-source prefix followed by XAUUSD or GOLD, and their own feeds, which is why their prices can differ slightly from your platform.

Worked example

Example (hypothetical numbers): on a standard account XAUUSD is 100 oz per lot. On a cent account, XAUUSDc might be the same 100 oz but in cents, so 1 lot moving $1 changes the balance by 100 cents ($1) instead of $100. Using the standard-account lot size here would risk a hundredth of what you intended.

If you trade on more than one account, keep a small table of each symbol name with its contract size and digits. It takes five minutes and prevents most sizing errors when switching.

A common mistake

Assuming every gold symbol is identical. Open the specification for the exact symbol you trade.

See also: Market Watch, Contract size, Cent account, XAUUSD.

Frequently asked questions