Recently, I’ve been paying attention to the gold market and found that this wave of market volatility is indeed not simple. From last year to early this year, the gold price has increased by over 60%, and international spot gold once broke through the $5,600 mark, which is very rare in the past few decades. Malaysia has also followed the surge; my friend visited several gold shops yesterday, and 999 pure gold has approached a historical high of nearly 750-800 ringgit per gram. The price of 916 gold has also jumped, and today the quote for 916 purity gold is rapidly adjusting.

What’s most interesting is that gold shops have now switched to semi-day pricing or even real-time listings, indicating that price fluctuations are too fast. On one hand, some are eager to cash out at high levels, and on the other hand, large funds are still hedging at high prices. This polarization actually reflects market anxiety—geopolitical risks, the uncertain US-Iran situation, everyone is using gold as insurance.

If you want to trade spot gold, you need to understand the trading hours. International spot gold is basically traded 24 hours a day, opening at 7 a.m. on Monday (Malaysia time), closing at 6 a.m. on Saturday, with only an hour of settlement and trading halt after the New York close. If trading local FGLD futures, the schedule is more fixed: most active from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Next, it’s crucial to watch the progress of US-Iran negotiations and US employment data, as these two factors may determine whether gold prices continue to surge or experience a pullback. The current market sentiment remains very sensitive, and the premium space for gold may continue to widen.