(Kitco News) - Geopolitical uncertainty isn't taking weekends off, and neither are investors, as they embrace CME Group's 24/7 one-ounce gold contract.
The world's largest derivatives exchange announced Monday that 15,000 one-ounce futures contracts were traded during the inaugural weekend, representing approximately $60 million in notional value.
"Our launch demonstrates that retail traders were ready and waiting for always-on, regulated and right-sized products to manage their exposure to gold," said Jin Hennig, Managing Director and Global Head of Metals at CME Group.
CME launched its one-ounce gold futures contract in January 2025, with the smaller contract size specifically designed for retail traders. The contract averaged 87,000 contracts traded daily (ADV) during the first half of 2026.
Beyond the retail market, CME said it has seen unprecedented demand for gold in 2026. The exchange reported a record $125 billion in average daily notional value traded across its gold futures contracts so far this year.
"CME Group's metals business set a new record in the first half of 2026, with a total of 1.3 million contracts traded daily, driven by precious metals activity, up 55% year over year," the exchange said.
