Gold's busiest hours in Lagos time
We measured the median range (high minus low) of every one-hour gold bar from June 2024 to October 2026, Monday to Friday: about 13,000 hours of CME gold futures prices. Because US market hours are fixed in New York time and Lagos does not change its clocks, the same hour falls one hour later in Lagos when New York leaves daylight saving time in November.
A bigger range means bigger moves in both directions. It is a measure of activity, not of which way the price will go.
| New York time | Lagos, Mar–Nov (US daylight time) | Lagos, rest of year | Median hourly range | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 0.32% | Around the London open |
| 08:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 0.48% | US data at 08:30 (jobs, inflation) |
| 09:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 0.56% | Wall Street opens at 09:30: busiest hour |
| 10:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 0.52% | US session, London still open |
| 11:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 0.41% | London afternoon, activity starts to fade |
| 16:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 0.18% | Quietest regular hour |
| 17:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | closed | Daily pause of the CME gold market |
| 20:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 0.34% | Asian session gets going |
| 21:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 0.39% | Asian session gets going |
How to use this, and what not to read into it
- If you can only watch the market after work, the late afternoon in Lagos is when gold usually moves most, so it is also when stop-losses are most likely to be hit.
- Around US releases at 08:30 New York time (13:30 or 14:30 in Lagos), spreads can widen and prices can jump past your stop. Check the economic calendar for the day.
- A quiet hour is not a safe hour: prices can still gap on unexpected news.
- This is a description of past activity, not a trading signal. Our own strategies use their own rules, which we do not publish.
Check the hours for today
The live clock on our Nigeria guide shows which sessions are open right now in Lagos time and colours each hour by how much gold, Nasdaq 100, Dow Jones and S&P 500 usually move. The underlying data is published as an open file: hourly-volatility.json.