CMC Markets (LSE: CMCX), the London-listed online trading firm, launched a weekend gold trading product today (Monday), giving spread betting and CFD clients access to the precious metal when the underlying spot and futures markets are closed.

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CMC Markets Launches Weekend Gold Trading for Spread Betting and CFD Clients

The product, listed as "Gold - Weekend," is aimed at traders who use gold for hedging and risk management and want to adjust positions without waiting for the Monday open, the company said. CMC did not disclose details on pricing, spreads or margin requirements for the weekend instrument.

"This launch reflects our focus on giving clients access to markets when it matters most," Laurence Booth, Global Head of Markets at CMC Markets, said.

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"By introducing 24/7 gold trading and expanding access to US equities during extended hours, we're reducing time constraints and giving traders greater control and flexibility in fast-moving global markets."

The move arrives at a time when gold has climbed sharply, rising from around $2,640 at the start of 2025 to test levels above $5,500 before pulling back slightly, a run that has pushed precious metals volumes to the top of many brokers' flow tables.

Several firms, including CMC and IG, raised maintenance margins for gold in recent months as the rally tested risk management systems across the industry.

LMAX, GCEX and BingX Got There First

CMC is not the first to spot the weekend gold gap. In February 2026, LMAX Group added gold to its perpetual futures platform, giving institutional clients continuous XAU/USD exposure around the clock and across weekends. LMAX's product uses margin-based perpetual futures with no expiry date, allowing funds and brokers to hold positions through Sunday without needing to roll or close them.

GCEX also launched gold futures products targeting institutional CFD activity earlier this year, while crypto exchange BingX reported that gold contracts accounted for more than half of its $1 billion daily traditional finance trading volume in January, driven by record prices and geopolitical safe-haven demand.

Extended Hours Push Stretches Across Asset Classes

The gold launch is part of a broader effort at CMC to extend market access. The broker recently rolled out 24/5 trading on approximately 250 US shares and ETFs, giving clients the ability to trade names like Apple and Tesla outside standard exchange hours, with further expansion planned.

CMC is far from alone in this push. STARTRADER opened 24/5 trading on 20 US stocks in March, joining Pepperstone, IG, BlackBull Markets and Deriv in offering US share CFDs beyond regular hours. On the direct market access side, Charles Schwab's thinkorswim platform provides 24/5 trading on more than 1,100 US stocks and ETFs, while Robinhood runs its "24 Hour Market" from Sunday evening to Friday evening.

Data from eToro, which expanded its 24/5 stock offering late last year, shows that roughly one-third of all stock trading on the platform now occurs outside traditional market hours, a figure that has grown steadily since the feature launched. The broader pattern suggests that retail clients conditioned by round-the-clock crypto markets now expect similar flexibility across all asset classes.

CMC's Multi-Asset Strategy Continues to Expand

The weekend gold product slots into a wider multi-asset push at the FTSE 250 broker, which has been adding new products and partnerships at a steady pace. In March, CMC began using J.P. Morgan's Kinexys blockchain infrastructure for 24/7 cash settlement, and earlier this month signed Upvest as infrastructure provider for a multi-currency stocks and ETFs offering in Germany.

The broker has also been pursuing expanded regulatory permissions in Singapore to enter the physical precious metals market, advertising a senior compliance role there related to obtaining approval under the Precious Stones and Precious Metals Act. That initiative, combined with the weekend gold CFD, suggests the company is building out its precious metals capabilities across both derivative and potentially physical formats.