GC futures trading hours
When gold and Micro Gold futures trade on CME Globex, with settlement and expiry dates.
- Globex session
- Sun 6:00 p.m. to Fri 5:00 p.m. ET
- Daily break
- 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET
- Contract size
- GC 100, MGC 10 troy ounces
- Next GC expiry
- Wed, Oct 28, 2026
GC futures trading hours on CME Globex run from Sunday 6:00 p.m. to Friday 5:00 p.m. ET, with a one-hour break each weekday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. Gold (GC) and Micro Gold (MGC) trade the same hours. The daily settlement price comes from trades between 1:29 and 1:30 p.m. ET, and each contract month stops trading on its third last business day.
GC and MGC session times in ET, CT, PT and UTC
Gold futures (GC) are listed on COMEX, one of CME Group's exchanges. One contract is 100 troy ounces of gold. The Globex week runs Sunday to Friday, 5:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT, with a halt from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT. A new trading day starts in the evening, so the session that opens on Monday at 6:00 p.m. ET counts as Tuesday.
| Session | ET | CT | PT | UTC (US daylight time) | UTC (US standard time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly open, Sunday | 6:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 22:00 | 23:00 |
| Daily settlement window | 1:29 p.m.–1:30 p.m. | 12:29 p.m.–12:30 p.m. | 10:29 a.m.–10:30 a.m. | 17:29–17:30 | 18:29–18:30 |
| Daily break, Monday to Thursday | 5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. | 21:00–22:00 | 22:00–23:00 |
| Weekly close, Friday | 5:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 21:00 | 22:00 |
From Friday 5:00 p.m. to Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET, 49 hours, gold futures do not trade. US clocks go back on Sunday, November 1, 2026, so from that week the open, the settlement window and the break come one hour later in UTC. Hours for every CME product group are on our futures market hours page.
The settlement window: 1:29 to 1:30 p.m. ET
Gold keeps trading after 1:30 p.m. ET, but the day's official settlement price is set from Globex trades in a one-minute window. CME staff settle the active month to the volume-weighted average price of trades between 1:29:00 and 1:30:00 p.m. ET. The active month is the nearest of February, April, June, August, October and December that is not the current delivery month; in October 2026 that is December. Other months settle from calendar spread trades between 1:15 and 1:30 p.m. ET.
How a prop firm measures a loss limit at the end of the day is explained in our guide to EOD vs intraday drawdown.
GC vs MGC: the contract facts
Micro Gold is one tenth of the standard contract. Both settle by delivery. An MGC delivery hands over a certificate for a tenth of a 100-ounce bar, and its final value is the GC settlement price for the same month.
| Fact | Gold (GC) | Micro Gold (MGC) |
|---|---|---|
| Contract size | 100 troy ounces | 10 troy ounces |
| Minimum tick | $0.10 per ounce = $10.00 | $0.10 per ounce = $1.00 |
| Value of a $1 move | $100 | $10 |
| Globex hours (ET) | Sun–Fri 6:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., break 5:00–6:00 p.m. | Same as GC |
| Last trading day | Third last business day of the contract month | Same day as GC |
| Final settlement | Physical delivery of gold bars of at least 995 fineness | Delivery of certificates, each a tenth of a 100-ounce bar |
| COMEX rulebook | Chapter 113 | Chapter 120 |
A tick is the smallest price step. Gold is quoted in dollars and cents per troy ounce, so a $1.00 move in the price of an ounce is $100 on one GC contract and $10 on one MGC. GC is listed for the current month, the next two months, any February, April, August and October within 23 months, and any June and December within 72 months.
Price limits
GC and MGC are subject to the special price fluctuation limits of COMEX Rule 589 and the limits table in Chapter 5 of the COMEX rulebook (Rules 113102.F and 120102.G).
Expiry dates and the roll
Under COMEX Rule 113102.E, no trades in an expiring gold month are made after its third last business day. MGC follows the same rule in Rule 120102.E, so both stop on the same day. Delivery can take place on any business day of the delivery month, so traders who do not want delivery close or roll positions to the next active month well before then.
| Contract month | GC and MGC last trading day |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | Wednesday, October 28, 2026 |
| December 2026 | Tuesday, December 29, 2026 |
| February 2027 | Wednesday, February 24, 2027 |
| April 2027 | Wednesday, April 28, 2027 |
| June 2027 | Monday, June 28, 2027 |
GC on the next holidays
Gold follows CME's holiday schedule for metals futures. On US holidays when Globex stays open, metals halt at 2:30 p.m. ET, later than the 1:00 p.m. ET halt for stock index futures.
| Date | Holiday | GC and MGC |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | Thanksgiving | Halt 2:30 p.m., reopens 6:00 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov 27, 2026 | Day after Thanksgiving | Early close 2:45 p.m. |
| Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Christmas | Closed |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | New Year's Day | Closed |
| Mon, Jan 18, 2027 | Martin Luther King Day | Halt 2:30 p.m., reopens 6:00 p.m. |
Christmas EveCME's Christmas settlement notice sets the settlement time for gold at 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 24, 2026, an hour earlier than usual. A settlement time is not the same as a trading close. Check CME before you trade that day.
The full list is in the CME holiday calendar 2026 and the CME holiday calendar 2027.
What GC hours mean in a prop firm account
GC and MGC are offered in many futures prop firm evaluations, the paid tests on simulated accounts that firms sell. Every firm sets a flat-by time, by which all positions must be closed. It comes before gold's 5:00 p.m. ET close.
| Firm | Flat-by time | Before the GC close |
|---|---|---|
| Topstep | 4:10 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| FundedNext Futures | 4:10 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| MyFundedFutures | 4:10 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| Lucid Trading | 4:45 p.m. | 15 minutes |
| Tradeify | 4:45 p.m. | 15 minutes |
| Earn2Trade | 4:50 p.m. | 10 minutes |
| Take Profit Trader | 4:55 p.m. | 5 minutes |
| Apex Trader Funding | 4:59 p.m. | 1 minute |
| Bulenox | 4:59 p.m. | 1 minute |
Gold's dollar value per move matters for a firm's loss limits. On a $2,000 drawdown, a $20 move against one GC contract uses the whole allowance; on MGC the same move costs $200. Drawdown types are explained in our guide to trailing drawdown, and which firms let you hold past the close in our guide to prop firm weekend holding. Other contracts are on our pages on ES futures trading hours, NQ futures trading hours and CL futures trading hours.
Exchange hoursThese are CME Group's exchange hours and rules. A prop firm's own cut-off can be earlier. A prop firm evaluation is a paid service with simulated trading. Most people who buy one do not pass it, and firms change their rules, pause payouts and close. Not investment advice.
Questions
What time do gold futures open on Sunday?
At 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. CT). That is 22:00 UTC while US daylight time lasts and 23:00 UTC in US standard time, from November 1, 2026.
Are MGC trading hours the same as GC?
Yes. Micro Gold trades on the same CME Globex schedule as the metals group, Sunday to Friday 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET with a break from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET. It is one tenth of the size, 10 troy ounces instead of 100, and stops trading on the same day as GC for the same month.
What time does gold settle?
The daily settlement price of the active month comes from Globex trades between 1:29 and 1:30 p.m. ET. Trading continues after that until the 5:00 p.m. ET break.
When does the December 2026 gold contract expire?
Trading in the December 2026 GC and MGC contracts ends on Tuesday, December 29, 2026, the third last business day of December.
How much is a $1 move in gold futures worth?
$100 on one GC contract and $10 on one MGC. The smallest price step is $0.10 per troy ounce, which is $10.00 on GC and $1.00 on MGC.
Sources
- COMEX Rulebook, Chapter 113: Gold futures
- COMEX Rulebook, Chapter 120: Micro Gold futures
- CME Group: Gold futures and options fact card (hours and listed months)
- CME Group: Special Executive Report SER-9637R (Gold futures daily settlement procedure)
- CME Group: Gold futures
- CME Group: Micro Gold futures
- CME Group: Holiday and Trading Hours
- CME Group: Christmas holiday settlement times 2026
CME pages checked on ; holiday hours and firm flat-by times on September 26, 2026, from the firm pages linked above.