What Time Does the COMEX Market Close? A Complete Guide to COMEX Trading Hours

If you trade gold, silver, or copper futures, you've probably found yourself asking: what time does the COMEX market actually close? The answer isn't as straightforward as you might expect, because the COMEX market hours depend on several factors—including the specific contract you're trading and whether daylight saving time is in effect.

Understanding the COMEX Market Schedule

COMEX, the Commodity Exchange division of CME Group, operates on the CME Globex electronic trading platform. The standard trading schedule runs from Sunday through Friday, with nearly 24-hour access during the trading week.

For most COMEX products, including gold and silver futures, the market opens at 6:00 PM ET on Sunday and closes at 5:00 PM ET on Friday. Throughout the week, there's a daily maintenance break from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET each day. This means the COMEX market isn't truly "24/7"—it has a scheduled pause that traders need to be aware of.

This daily break is a crucial window. Orders won't execute during the maintenance period, and market conditions immediately before and after the pause can differ significantly from more active periods. If you're managing positions, knowing this schedule helps you avoid placing orders that will simply sit idle during the break.

COMEX Market Closing Time Today

The precise COMEX market closing time today depends on the day of the week and any holiday adjustments.

On a typical trading day, the COMEX market closes at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. This applies to the daily session close, after which the one-hour maintenance window begins. The market then reopens at 6:00 PM ET for the next trading session.

For the weekly close, COMEX shuts down at 5:00 PM ET on Friday and remains closed until Sunday at 6:00 PM ET. This is the longest continuous closure during a normal trading week.

It's worth noting that COMEX observes a total of 12 scheduled holidays in 2026, including full closures and early-close days. For example, on the day after Thanksgiving (November 27, 2026), the market closes early at 1:00 PM ET. Similarly, Christmas Eve brings an early close at 1:00 PM ET. These adjustments are important for anyone planning their trading week around fixed schedules.

COMEX Market Hours and the India Connection

For traders in India, the COMEX market hours translate to a convenient evening and late-night window. Understanding the COMEX market open time in India helps Indian traders plan their sessions effectively.

During US daylight saving time (typically March through November), the COMEX market's most active period overlaps with Indian evening hours. The most liquid and volatile window for COMEX gold and silver on the MCX (Multi Commodity Exchange of India) occurs roughly between 7:30 PM and 11:30 PM IST. This is when the US session is in full swing and global price discovery is at its peak.

During US standard time (November through March), the timing shifts one hour later. The active period for COMEX-linked products on MCX then falls approximately between 8:30 PM and 12:30 AM IST. MCX's evening session itself closes at 11:30 PM IST during US summer time and 11:55 PM IST during US winter time.

This time zone math matters for Indian traders who want to catch the most significant price moves. The overlap between MCX evening trading and the COMEX active session is when gold, silver, crude oil, and copper futures see their highest liquidity and volatility.

Why COMEX Market Hours Matter for Position Management

Knowing when the COMEX market closes isn't just trivia—it directly affects how you manage your trading positions. If you hold gold futures on a broker connected to COMEX, your ability to close positions, adjust stops, or react to news depends on the market being open.

The daily maintenance break from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET can be particularly frustrating. Imagine watching a significant price movement develop only to discover you can't execute a trade because the exchange is in its maintenance window. Similar issues arise during holiday early closes, when the market shuts down hours earlier than expected.

For traders who use MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5 platforms connected to COMEX liquidity, managing positions during these off-hours requires either waiting for the market to reopen or accepting the risk of holding through the closure. This is where having quick, convenient access to your position data becomes valuable—even when you're not sitting in front of your trading terminal.

Staying Aware Without Staying Glued to Your Screen

The COMEX schedule—with its daily breaks, weekend closures, and holiday adjustments—creates windows where you either can't trade or need to be especially alert for fast-moving conditions. Many traders find themselves constantly checking their MT5 or MT4 platforms to monitor positions, especially during the active US session that runs late into Indian night hours.

Camovia Tray addresses a practical problem in this scenario: how to stay informed about your open positions without keeping your trading terminal open and visible all the time. The tool turns MT5 or MT4 into a system tray utility, letting you check live quotes and manage positions from a simple hover-over or click on the tray icon. If you have COMEX-linked positions and want to verify your exposure during a quiet moment—or confirm that your stops are in place before the active session begins—Camovia Tray lets you do that without opening the full terminal.

For Indian traders specifically, who often monitor markets during late evening and early morning hours, having position data accessible from the system tray means you can quickly check your gold or silver exposure without interrupting other activities. The quotes and position information are read directly from your local terminal, staying on your computer rather than being uploaded anywhere.

Key Takeaways for COMEX Traders

The COMEX market closes at 5:00 PM ET on regular trading days, with a daily maintenance break until 6:00 PM ET. The weekly close is Friday at 5:00 PM ET, with reopening on Sunday at 6:00 PM ET. Holiday schedules can bring full closures or early closes—for instance, Thanksgiving week includes a 1:00 PM ET close on the Friday after.

For Indian traders, the COMEX active session overlaps conveniently with MCX evening hours, running roughly from 6:30 PM to midnight IST during US summer time, shifting one hour later during US winter time.

If you trade COMEX-linked products through MT5 or MT4, keeping track of your positions across these varied schedules can be demanding. Having a lightweight way to monitor your exposure—like Camovia Tray's system tray access—offers a practical alternative to keeping your terminal open all day and night.