us comex market close time: What Traders Watching Metals Need to Know

If you trade gold, silver, or copper futures, you already know the feeling: you step away from your desk for twenty minutes, come back, and the market has moved in a way you didn’t expect. The question that often follows is simple but important—when exactly does the COMEX market close today, and does it even “close” in the traditional sense?

The answer is not a single clock time. COMEX, operated under the CME Group umbrella, runs on an electronic Globex system that keeps metals futures trading for nearly 23 hours a day, five days a week. The “close” you hear about depends on whether someone means the daily settlement window, the maintenance break, or the weekly close. Understanding these distinctions matters more than memorizing one number.

The Regular Trading Hours (RTH) for COMEX metals—the period when open outcry historically took place and when settlement prices are determined—run from 8:20 AM to 1:30 PM Eastern Time . That 1:30 PM ET mark is often what traders mean when they ask about the COMEX market closing time today. It is the moment when the most liquid portion of the session ends and settlement prices are established. For gold and silver, the settlement window falls around 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM ET depending on the specific contract .

But the electronic session does not stop there. COMEX metals futures trade from 6:00 PM ET Sunday through 5:00 PM ET Friday, with a daily one-hour break from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET . That break is a maintenance window, not a true close. If you are holding positions or watching price action, the difference between the RTH close at 1:30 PM and the electronic session pause at 5:00 PM can be significant.

For traders outside the United States, the time conversion adds another layer. The COMEX market open time in India, for example, depends on whether US daylight saving time is in effect. During US daylight saving (roughly March to November), the most active US session—9:00 AM to 2:30 PM ET—translates to approximately 6:30 PM to 12:00 AM IST . When the US returns to standard time, that window shifts to roughly 7:30 PM to 1:00 AM IST . For Indian traders watching gold or silver, the overlap between COMEX activity and MCX evening hours is when liquidity and volatility tend to peak.

The phrase “comex market hours” also encompasses holiday schedules. COMEX observes twelve holidays in 2026, with some full closures and a few early-close days . On days like the Friday after Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve, the market closes early at 1:00 PM ET rather than the usual 5:00 PM electronic close . These variations are worth checking before the session begins, especially if you plan to hold through a holiday period.

Here is where the practical reality of trading comes in. Knowing that COMEX closes at 1:30 PM ET for settlement or pauses at 5:00 PM ET for maintenance is useful information. But acting on that information often requires being at a screen. For traders who manage positions across multiple markets, or who simply cannot sit in front of MetaTrader for every hour of the session, the gap between “knowing the close time” and “being able to respond to it” can be frustrating.

Camovia Tray was built for exactly this kind of situation. It turns MT5 or MT4 into a system tray tool, which means you can hover over a tray icon to see live quotes for your watchlist without opening the full terminal. If you are tracking gold or copper as the COMEX session approaches its settlement window, you can check the price at a glance. If a position needs attention—whether it is a stop you want to adjust or a contract you want to close before the daily break—the tray interface lets you view open positions and close them with a two-step confirmation.

The product is not a trading platform replacement. It does not offer charting, indicators, or order types beyond basic position management. What it does is reduce the friction between you and the information you already have in your MT5 or MT4 terminal. The quotes and position data are read locally from your terminal and stay on your computer. There is no cloud sync, no data upload. For traders who prefer to keep their workflow self-contained, that matters.

The COMEX market close time is not a single moment. It is a sequence: the settlement window at 1:30 PM ET, the electronic session pause at 5:00 PM ET, the weekly close at 5:00 PM ET on Friday. Each one has implications for how you manage risk and when you pay attention. Knowing the schedule is the first step. Having a way to stay connected to your positions without being chained to a full terminal is the next one.