CME Group Sees Strong Demand for 24/7 Gold Futures Contract

CME Group announced that its 24/7 one-ounce gold futures contract saw 15,000 contracts traded during the first weekend of availability, representing roughly $60 million in notional value. The world's largest derivatives exchange launched the smaller contract in January 2025, targeting retail traders.

According to a managing director and global head of metals at CME Group, the launch showed that retail participants were prepared for a regulated, always-on product sized for their needs. The contract averaged 87,000 trades per day during the first half of 2026.

CME reported unprecedented gold demand this year, with a record $125 billion in average daily notional value traded across all its gold futures contracts so far in 2026. The exchange also noted that its metals business set a new record in the first six months of 2026, with a total of 1.3 million contracts traded daily, driven by precious metals activity, which rose 55% compared to the same period a year earlier.