When gold opens, pauses and closes in UAE and Saudi time, why the times move an hour in November and March, and which hours carry the most liquidity.
Quick answer: gold (XAU/USD) trades from Monday early morning to Friday night in Gulf time, with a one-hour pause each day. On the current schedule (mid-March to 1 November 2026) the week opens at 02:02 Monday in Dubai (01:02 in Riyadh) and closes at 00:58 Saturday in Dubai (23:58 Friday in Riyadh). The daily pause runs 00:58 to 02:01 in Dubai. From 1 November, every time moves one hour later.
The rest of this guide explains where those times come from, the full table for both schedules, and which hours carry the most liquidity.
Why gold runs on New York time
Spot gold has no single exchange. It trades over the counter between banks and liquidity providers around the world, and the trading day is anchored to the New York close at 17:00 Eastern time. That is when the day rolls over, positions held overnight pick up their swap, and most platforms take a short break.
The GCC Brokers MetaTrader 5 server runs on New York time plus seven hours, so its midnight is the New York 17:00 close all year round. In server time, gold opens at 01:02 on Monday, pauses each night from 23:58 to 01:01, and closes at 23:58 on Friday.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia do not change their clocks. New York does, on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. That is the whole reason the Gulf times move twice a year.
Gold trading hours: summer schedule (mid-March to 1 November)
This schedule applies while New York is on daylight saving time: in 2026, from 8 March to 1 November.
| Server time | UTC | Dubai (GMT+4) | Riyadh (GMT+3) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week opens | Mon 01:02 | Sun 22:02 | Mon 02:02 | Mon 01:02 |
| Daily pause | 23:58 to 01:01 | 20:58 to 22:01 | 00:58 to 02:01 | 23:58 to 01:01 |
| Week closes | Fri 23:58 | Fri 20:58 | Sat 00:58 | Fri 23:58 |
Gold trading hours: winter schedule (1 November to mid-March)
From Sunday 1 November 2026 until the second Sunday of March 2027, every Gulf and UTC time is one hour later. Server time does not change.
| Server time | UTC | Dubai (GMT+4) | Riyadh (GMT+3) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week opens | Mon 01:02 | Sun 23:02 | Mon 03:02 | Mon 02:02 |
| Daily pause | 23:58 to 01:01 | 21:58 to 23:01 | 01:58 to 03:01 | 00:58 to 02:01 |
| Week closes | Fri 23:58 | Fri 21:58 | Sat 01:58 | Sat 00:58 |
Holidays can shorten a day: Christmas, New Year and some US public holidays bring early closes. The trading hours page shows the live schedule for every instrument, read from the trading server.
Which hours carry the most liquidity
Gold trades for about 23 hours a day, but the depth of the market is not even across them. Three windows matter most for traders in the Gulf.
The London morning. Liquidity builds when London opens, at 11:00 Dubai time on the summer schedule (12:00 in winter). The LBMA Gold Price auctions, the reference "London fix", run at 10:30 and 15:00 London time: that is 13:30 and 18:00 in Dubai in summer, and 14:30 and 19:00 in winter. GCC Brokers offers London Fix trading at those prices.
The London and New York overlap. The deepest part of the day is when both centres are open, roughly 16:00 to 20:00 in Dubai (15:00 to 19:00 in Riyadh) in summer, one hour later in winter. Major US data, such as payrolls and inflation, is released at 08:30 New York time: 16:30 in Dubai in summer, 17:30 in winter. Gold often moves sharply in the minutes after.
The quiet hours. Around the daily pause and the Monday open, fewer participants are quoting. Spreads are usually at their widest then, and prices can gap from Friday's close to Monday's open if news breaks over the weekend.
What this means for a Gulf-based trader
- Fridays are full trading days. In Saudi Arabia, Friday is a weekend day, but gold trades normally until the weekly close on Friday night.
- Plan around the pause. Pending orders are not executed during the daily pause, and a position held through it is held over the rollover, which is when swap is charged. Wednesday's rollover charges three nights.
- Set reminders for the clock change. On the first Monday of November, the open, the pause and the close all arrive one hour later than the week before.
For contract size, margin and the current swap rates, see the XAU/USD instrument page, which reads them live from the trading server. If you are new to gold, our guide on how to trade gold works through a full example.
Trading FX and CFDs on leverage carries significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. You may lose more than your initial deposit.
Questions on this topic.
What time does the gold market open in Dubai?
Gold (XAU/USD) opens for the week at 02:02 on Monday, Dubai time, from mid-March to the start of November, and at 03:02 on Monday from November to mid-March. It then trades almost around the clock until Friday night.
What time does gold close on Friday in Saudi Arabia?
At GCC Brokers, gold closes for the week at 23:58 on Friday, Riyadh time, from mid-March to the start of November, and at 00:58 on Saturday from November to mid-March.
Does gold stop trading during the day?
Yes, once a day for about an hour around the New York close. In Dubai time the pause runs from 00:58 to 02:01 (summer schedule) or 01:58 to 03:01 (winter schedule).
Why do gold trading hours change in November and March?
The gold market follows New York time, and New York moves its clocks in March and November. The UAE and Saudi Arabia do not, so the same market hours land one hour later in Gulf time during the US winter.
When is the best time to trade gold from the Gulf?
Liquidity is usually deepest when London and New York are both open, roughly 16:00 to 20:00 in Dubai (15:00 to 19:00 in Riyadh) on the summer schedule. Spreads tend to be widest around the daily pause and the Monday open.
Can I trade gold on Friday in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. Gold trades on Friday as a normal market day until the weekly close on Friday night, Riyadh time, even though Friday is part of the Saudi weekend.
For information only. This is market commentary and education, not investment advice. Figures are as at the time of writing.