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Gold Futures

Gold Futures While the value of gold is a hotly debated topic, one thing is certain: gold is the most popular investment and trade option of all precious metals on the markets. Perhaps the most fundamental reason gold is so popular is because it is an ideal store of value assets. This implies that the value of gold is the exact same all over the world—after currency conversion.

Gold Contract Specifications
Product Symbol GC
Venue CME Globex, CME ClearPort, Open Outcry (New York)
Trading Hours CME Globex: Sun–Fri 5:00pm–4:15pm CT with a 45-minute break each day beginning at 4:15pm
CME ClearPort: Sun–Fri 5:00pm–4:15pm CT with a 45-minute break each day beginning at 4:15pm
Open Outcry: Mon–Fri 7:20am-12:30pm CT
Contract Size 100 troy ounces
Price Quotation U.S. Dollars and Cents per troy ounce
Minimum Fluctuation $0.10 per troy ounce
Termination of Trading Trading terminates on the third last business day of the delivery month.
Listed Contracts Trading is conducted for delivery during the current calendar month; the next two calendar months; any February, April, August, and October falling within a 23-month period; and any June and December falling within a 72-month period beginning with the current month.
Settlement Procedure Physical
Settlement Type See Daily Gold Futures Settlement Procedures
See Final Gold Futures Settlement Procedures
Delivery Period Delivery may take place on any business day beginning on the first business day of the delivery month or any subsequent business day of the delivery month, but not later than the last business day of the current delivery month.
Trading at Settlement (TAS) Trading at Settlement is allowed in the active contract month. The active contract months will be February, April, June, August and December. On any given date, TAS transactions will be allowed only in a single contract month. TAS transactions may be executed at the current day’s settlement price or at any valid price increment ten ticks higher or lower than the settlement price.
Grade and Quality Specifications Gold delivered under this contract shall assay to a minimum of 995 fineness.
Exchange Rules These contracts are listed with, and subject to, the rules and regulations of COMEX.
Source: CME

Gold Facts

Gold is highly valued because of its beauty, strength, density and rarity. It is unaffected by air, heat, moisture and most solvents. Gold is an important industrial commodity as it can conduct both heat and electricity. Gold is commonly used in jewelry, electronics, and reflective glass. Gold is mined on every continent except for Antarctica. Virtually all gold that has been mined throughout history is still existence in the world today because of its indestructibility. The Unites States is a top producer of gold, behind China and Australia respectively. Nevada, Alaska and California are the top producing states.

From 1792-1971, the United States had a bimetallic standard, meaning that all paper currency was backed up with its face value in gold. This ensured that a physical asset of value existed in conjunction with American currency. The price of gold continues to remain a bull market in the current climate, with record high prices in the past few years.

Source: Barchart

Last updated May 2013

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