Perhaps no other market in the world has the universal appeal of the gold market. For centuries, gold has been coveted for its unique blend of rarity, beauty, and near indestructibility. Nations have embraced gold as a store of wealth and a medium of international exchange, and individuals have sought to possess gold as insurance against the day-to-day uncertainties of paper money. Gold is also a vital industrial metal – it’s an excellent conductor of electricity, is extremely resistant to corrosion, and is one of the most chemically stable of the elements, making it critically important in electronics and other high-tech applications.
Trading in gold futures and options provides individual investors with an easy and convenient alternative to traditional means of investing in gold, such as bullion, coins, and mining stocks. In addition, a broad cross-section of companies in the gold industry, from mining companies to fabricators of finished products, can use gold futures and options contracts to hedge their price risk.
At optionsXpress Australia, we offer gold futures trading at two different exchanges. The COMEX Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade’s eCBOT electronic system.
COMEX Gold Futures Specifications
Gold futures, COMEX Division of New York Mercantile Exchange, symbol GC. Minimum Tick Size: $0.10 per troy ounce, worth $10.00 per contract.
Electronic trading is conducted from 6:00 PM US until 5:15 PM US EST via the CME Globex® trading platform, Sunday through Friday.
Primary Trading Months: February, April, June, August, October, and December. Six other months also trade, but with less volume and open interest.
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