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Lesson 2: market sessions — when gold and indices really move

Asia, London, New York: when gold and indices make their biggest moves, when spreads are widest and when US data comes out. With the times in your zone.

Drafted with AI tools. Editorial review: WickViper Team, 7 Oct 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the article.

In short

  • Gold trades almost around the clock, but the movement concentrates in London and New York.
  • US data usually comes out at 8:30 and 10:00 New York time — often the strongest minutes of the day.
  • During the Asian night and just before the daily close, spreads can be much wider.

A market that hardly sleeps

Gold and CFDs on major indices trade almost around the clock from Monday to Friday, with a short break around the New York daily close. But an open market is not the same as a moving market.

Three sessions

  • Asia (Tokyo) — usually the quietest for gold and European indices; spreads can be wider.
  • London — from the open (8:00 London time) gold liquidity rises. London hosts the LBMA gold price auction twice a day (10:30 and 15:00 London time).
  • New York — US data (usually 8:30 and 10:00 New York time) and the stock market open at 9:30 are often the strongest moments of the day for gold and US indices.

The London–New York overlap (about 8:00–11:00 New York time) is the window with the most liquidity. The sessions clock shows these hours in your time.

Why it matters

The trading cost (spread) is not fixed — in quiet hours and right after the daily open it can be several times higher. A strategy that works in theory can lose on cost alone in the wrong hours. On the other hand, the minutes after big data releases also carry the biggest risk of slippage.

Key US data

What moves gold most: the Fed decision (FOMC, usually 14:00 New York time), CPI inflation and the NFP jobs report (usually 8:30). In the lab we show what gold did after these releases over 14 years.

Questions

Is it worth trading gold at night at all?

You can, but moves are usually smaller and spreads wider, so costs eat more of the profit. For short strategies that matters.

How do I know when data comes out?

From the macro calendar and official schedules (Fed, BLS). Always convert the time to your zone — the US and Europe change clocks on different dates.

Sources

  1. LBMA precious metal prices (London gold auction times) — LBMA
  2. Meeting calendars and information (FOMC) — Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
  3. Consumer Price Index release schedule — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics