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Gold market: live price, trading hours and what moves it

The gold price is set by global dollar flows, real yields and central-bank demand, then delivered to your screen through a broker's quote. These pages explain the number, the session and the drivers.

xau/usd · one bar, one hourTARGETENTRYSTOP
What the market page tracks: one bar an hour, and the levels a plan is built from.
Execution and cost

Trade gold through a platform that suits your process

FxPro offers MT4, MT5, cTrader and FxPro Edge, with local cards, bank transfers in ZAR and e-wallets for funding. Check which FxPro entity your account is opened with before you trade.

FAQ

Common questions

What exactly is XAU/USD and how big is one lot?

XAU/USD is the price of one troy ounce of gold in US dollars. One standard lot is 100 oz, one pip is 0.01, and the reference price here is around 4275.0. That means a one-dollar move in the gold price is 100 pips and, at one standard lot, roughly $100 before costs.

What moves the gold price during a South African trading day?

Gold reacts mainly to the US dollar, US real yields, and demand for defensive assets, so the biggest moves tend to arrive when US data and Federal Reserve commentary land. Local events matter less for XAU/USD than for the rand, though a weaker rand changes what a dollar gold move is worth to you in rands.

Is gold trading the same as buying Krugerrands or gold ETFs?

No. Trading XAU/USD is a leveraged contract on the dollar gold price, settled in cash, with no metal delivered and no coins held. A Krugerrand or a gold ETF is an outright holding whose value tracks gold but carries different costs, tax treatment and no margin call. They suit different purposes.

How much can gold move in a day, and why does that matter for leverage?

Daily ranges vary with volatility, so there is no fixed number to plan around; what matters is that gold can travel far enough in a session to wipe out a thinly margined position. Leverage of up to 1:200 retail or 1:500 for eligible clients magnifies that. Size positions so a normal day's range does not threaten your account.

Where do I see the gold price and hours on this site?

The live-price page shows the XAU/USD reference price and explains where the feed comes from, and the trading-hours page sets out when gold is liquid in South African time. Use both together: a price without knowing whether the session is active can mislead you about how easily you could enter or exit.