Gold reacts to the US dollar, real interest rates and risk-off moves.
Read the contract size in the Terminal’s instrument details before you size a trade.
Metals follow the same news window as forex on the 1-Step, 2-Step and Instant Funded.
What moves gold
Gold (XAUUSD) is priced in US dollars, so a stronger dollar tends to weigh on it and a weaker dollar tends to support it. The other big driver is interest rates: gold pays no yield, so rising real rates make holding it less attractive, and falling rates do the opposite.
Gold also reacts to fear. In a risk-off move, when stocks fall and uncertainty rises, buyers often step in. None of these links is fixed, and they can work against each other on the same day, which is one reason gold can swing sharply.
In practice, many traders check the US dollar and US bond yields before trading gold. When both move hard in one direction, gold rarely ignores it.
When gold is most active
Gold trades nearly around the clock on weekdays, but the moves cluster in two windows: the London open and the US session, especially around US data such as inflation, jobs and central bank decisions. The Asian session is often quieter.
On the 1-Step, 2-Step and Instant Funded, opening new metals positions is blocked from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after high-impact news on accounts bought from 7 October 2026, unless you bought the News Trading add-on. Closing is always allowed. Silver (XAGUSD) is also on the list and usually moves even more in percentage terms.
Sizing a gold trade
Gold is not sized in pips like EURUSD. Use the dollar move instead: lots = risk in dollars ÷ (stop distance in dollars × value of a $1 move per lot). The value per lot depends on the contract size, which you read in the instrument details in the Terminal.
Worked example, assuming the instrument details show 100 ounces per lot, so a $1 move is worth $100 per lot: a $10,000 account risking 0.5% risks $50. With a $5 stop, one lot would lose $500, so the size is $50 ÷ $500 = 0.10 lots. If your details show a different contract size, redo the sum with that number; the order ticket also shows the loss at your stop before you send it. Check the commission and swap in the instrument details too, since they add to the cost of every lot.
Leverage and wide ranges
On Instant Funded the leverage on commodities is 1:20. On the 1-Step and 2-Step, check the instrument details for metals before you trade. Leverage only affects margin; the daily limit is still 5% on the Challenges and 3% on Instant Funded.
Because gold’s ranges are wide, a stop that fits the market is usually wider than on a major pair, so the position must be smaller for the same risk. Traders who size gold like EURUSD often lose a day’s limit in one candle.
A practical start: trade gold at half the risk you use on forex until your journal shows how your stops behave in it.
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Market guides checklist
Rules as of 17 Oct 2026. Tick each line before your next session.
| Rule | 1-Step Challenge | 2-Step Challenge | Instant Funded | MFC Stocks | Prediction Markets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit target | 10% | 8% + 5% | — | 7% | 10% |
| Daily loss limit | 5% | 5% | 3% | 2% daily pause | 3% |
| Maximum loss | 10% · trailing | 10% · static | 6% · trailing | 5% · trailing | 6% · trailing |
| Consistency | 35% | 35% | 35% | 35% | 35% |
| First payout | after 7 days | after 14 days | after 14 days | after 14 days | after 7 days |
| Then every | 7 days | 14 days | 7 days | 14 days | 7 days |
| Profit split | 80% → 95% | 80% → 95% | 70% → 80% | 70% → 80% | 75% → 90% |
1. How do you trade forex on a funded account?
- Focus on two or three major pairs and learn their sessions instead of watching every chart.
- Lots = risk in dollars ÷ (stop in pips × pip value per lot). Leverage is a ceiling, not a target.
- New FX positions are blocked around high-impact news unless you bought the News Trading add-on.
2. How do you trade gold (XAUUSD) on a funded account?
- Gold reacts to the US dollar, real interest rates and risk-off moves.
- Read the contract size in the Terminal’s instrument details before you size a trade.
- Metals follow the same news window as forex on the 1-Step, 2-Step and Instant Funded.
3. How do stock indices like US30 and NAS100 move?
- US30 tracks 30 large US companies; NAS100 tracks the largest Nasdaq companies and leans to tech.
- Most index movement clusters around the US cash open and major US data.
- MyFundedCapital doesn’t offer index trading yet; MFC Stocks covers 1,500+ US stocks.
4. How do you trade crypto on a funded account?
- Bitcoin, Ether and Solana trade in the Terminal on the 1-Step, 2-Step and Instant Funded.
- Coins = risk in dollars ÷ stop distance in dollars. Wide stops mean small positions.
- Crypto never closes, but your daily limit still resets at 17:00 New York time.
5. How do you trade US stocks around earnings on a funded account?
- Earnings land outside the regular session, so the reaction shows up as a gap at the open.
- Shares = risk in dollars ÷ stop in dollars per share. Wide post-earnings stops mean fewer shares.
- One big earnings day can push your best-day share toward the evaluation cap.
6. How do you trade economic calendar events like NFP, CPI and FOMC?
- NFP, CPI and FOMC move forex, gold and indices more than almost any other scheduled event.
- Without the add-on, new FX and metals entries pause 2 minutes either side of big news.
- Spreads widen and stops can slip at the release; plan size for the worse fill.
myfundedcapital.com/learn/
Questions
Is gold more volatile than forex?
Usually, yes. Its daily range in percentage terms is often wider than the major pairs, which is why the same risk needs a smaller position.
Can I hold a gold trade over the weekend?
Only with the Weekend Holding add-on. Without it, close the position before the Friday session ends.
Related lessons
Tools and rules
Rules shown here come from the help center and the live rulebook; your program terms apply.
