Commodity market hours

The huge range of commodity markets available on exchanges all over the world means that active commodity traders can find opportunities nearly 24 hours a day, five days a week. Discover when commodity markets open and close, and when the best time to trade commodities is.

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What are the commodity market hours?

The majority of commodity market hours are 24 hours a day, five days a week - most close from Saturday morning to Monday - depending on which market you choose. For details of the exact times on all of our markets, please view the market information sheet in the platform.

Commodity market opening times

Most commodity trading takes place on futures exchanges. Unlike stock exchanges, though, futures can be bought and sold almost 24-hours a day (except on weekends). So instead of watching for when a specific exchange is open, you can just pay attention to when your trading provider offers each market.

There may, however, be specific breaks or sessions on a certain exchange that you may want to be aware of. WTI futures, for example, typically have a trading break between 8am and 9am AEST – so you won’t be able to trade US crude between these hours.

Ready to start trading commodities? Open a live account, or a try a free demo.

Our commodity trading times

Take a look at the table below for the trading hours of some of our most popular markets, including gold, oil, and silver.

Spot (non-expiring contracts) / Futures / Options in AEST

Market name	Spot (non-expiring contracts)	Futures
US Crude (WTI)	09:00 Monday to 08:00 Saturday (except from (08:00 to 09:00)	08:00 Monday to 07:00 Saturday (except from 07:00 to 08:00)
UK Crude (Brent)	09:00 Monday to 08:00 Saturday (except from 09:00 to 11:00)	08:00 Monday to 07:00 Saturday (except from 08:00 to 10:00)
Heating Oil	N/A	08:00 Monday to 07:00 Saturday (except from 07:00 to 08:00)
Gas Oil	N/A	08:00 Monday to 07:00 Saturday (except from 08:00 to 10:00)
Gold	09:00 Monday to 08:00 Saturday (except from 08:00 to 09:00)	08:00 Monday to 07:00 Saturday (except from 07:00 to 08:00)
Silver	09:00 Monday to 08:00 Saturday (except from 08:00 to 09:00)	08:00 Monday to 07:00 Saturday (except from 07:00 to 08:00)
Corn	N/A	10:00 Monday to 04:15 Saturday (except 22:45 to 23:30)

To see more of our commodity hours, open an account and take a look at each market’s information in our platform.

What is the best time to trade commodities?

Not all commodity trading hours will experience the same levels of activity, which makes it important for you to know when to enter and exit the market to achieve the best results for your strategy.

Obviously, the best time of day to trade will vary by commodity market, and depending on which commodity exchange you’re using, but here are a few popular trading sessions for commodities.

WTI Crude Oil: During the traditional pit trading hours of 00:00 to 17:30 AEST WTI crude exhibits high trading volumes
Agricultural Futures: Any release of the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report will have an influence on trading volume on agricultural markets – such as corn, wheat and soybeans – which will impact prices
Gold: There’s usually greater volatility around the London session open at 18:00 AEST, and when the Wall Street opens at 23:00 AEST. This is because whenever the opening bell rings, there’s a rush of orders

How to start trading commodities

To take your position on oil, gold, silver or more, follow these four steps:

Open a City Index live account
Browse major commodities markets in our platform
Choose to go long or short
Open your position

You can also try a demo account if you’re not ready to commit real capital.

Commodity hours FAQs

Are commodities traded 24 hours?

Yes, most commodities markets are available for round-the-clock trading – although they’ll close at the weekend, and some have set trading breaks. If you’re interested in 24-hour trading, commodities and forex are both useful options.

What is the best time to trade oil?

Oil tends to hit peak volatility around major news releases (such as OPEC meetings). Alternatively, intra-day liquidity tends to be highest during the NYMEX’s ‘pit trading’ session 00:00 - 17.30 AEST. The NYMEX closed its trading pit for good in 2016, but volume is still often raised during these hours.