(Kitco News) - In a world of heightened economic uncertainty, investors continue to embrace the ability to own and trade safe-haven assets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as CME Group announces the successful launch of its 24/7 silver contract.
The world's largest derivatives exchange said Monday that 2,387 100-Ounce Silver futures contracts traded during its inaugural weekend of 24/7 trading, representing more than $15 million in notional value.
Along with solid silver demand, CME said it continues to see strong demand for its 24/7 one-ounce gold contract, which was launched July 24.
The company said that in the last month and a half, 140,000 gold contracts have traded during weekend sessions, representing more than $600 million in notional value.
The exchange said that its 24/7 gold contract represents the largest liquidity pool for weekend trading in gold futures.
“Silver sits at the crossroads of precious and industrial metals, and our first weekend of 24/7 trading confirms participants want round-the-clock access to manage both investment exposure and real-world supply risk," said Jin Hennig, Managing Director and Global Head of Metals at CME Group. "Following the strong reception to our always-on gold futures, this innovation shows that our retail clients value the combination of right-sized products and 24/7 access across precious metals."
The 24/7 contracts are the latest products CME has launched to attract new investors to the precious metals market and compete with the growing digital marketplace, which offers around-the-clock trading and fractionalized ounces.
CME launched a one-ounce gold futures contract in January 2025, with the smaller contract size specifically designed for retail traders. It added 100-Ounce Silver futures in February.
The exchange’s one-ounce gold and 100-ounce silver futures are the smallest of CME Group's precious metals contracts, designed to meet demand from retail traders in a trusted, regulated marketplace.
CME said its strategies are working, as precious metals have seen unprecedented demand during the first half of the year.
“Trading in CME Group's metals business set a new record in the first half of 2026, with a total of 1.3 million contracts traded daily driven by precious metals activity, up 55% year-on-year. A record $50 billion average notional traded each day across silver futures in the period,” CME said.
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