XAU stands for gold, as AU is the symbol of gold in chemistry. XAUUSD (also shown as XAU/USD and called Gold Spot US Dollar) shows the value of Spot Gold based on US Dollars. The value of XAU/USD represents how much US Dollar is needed to buy an ounce (1 OZ) of gold.
Gold has generally held its value for centuries, but traders’ interest has waxed and waned in recent decades. From the early 1980s until the early 2000s, there was lower interest in trading gold thanks to the strong and stable economic growth and high-performing stock markets. As a result, gold generally consolidated around $400/oz in this period.
But gold has never really lost its allure. Interest in gold grew slowly through the 2000s and then exploded with the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. Investors turned to gold as a safe haven as the price hit an all-time high above $1900 in late 2011. About 10% of all gold is used in the industry and can be found inside electronic devices! The rest is either kept as mint, bars or jewelry.
Gold is not always paired with USD. Other popular gold pair symbols include but are not limited to XAUEUR and XAUCHF.

One of the biggest points of disagreement for gold traders is about the correlation between gold and the U.S. Dollar. Since gold is priced in U.S. Dollars with XAUUSD, it would be logical to assume that the two assets are inversely correlated. This would mean that the value of gold and the dollar are supposed to move opposite to one another.
In other words, it should take fewer Dollars to buy an ounce of gold when the value of the dollar rises, and more Dollars to buy an ounce of gold when the value of USD is lower. Unfortunately, this overly simplistic view of the correlation does not hold in all cases. While the correlation is mostly negative, sometimes both US Dollar and the Gold simultaneously rise or fall in value.

As with any trading instrument, there is no single ‘best’ way to trade gold either. For most traders, the technical trading strategies they employ on other instruments can easily be adapted to the gold market, especially given gold’s tendency to form durable trends. For example, adapting strategies based on trend lines, Fibonacci analysis and overbought/oversold oscillators like RSI and Stochastics might be good starting points. As always, you should put protective stop-loss and adequate take-profit measures in play.

Yes. Buying and selling gold bullion is taking physical possession of gold. While some investors might prefer to do so, you are left with several concerns regarding the storage, protection and transportation issues. Will you rent a safe or a safe box in a bank, just to hold your gold?
The alternative is trading CFDs for gold. Trading XAUUSD means speculating on the price of gold. This means you don’t have to buy and sell gold physically, nor do you need to worry about keeping it safe. Trading CFDs for spot gold is an entirely digital process.
Another benefit is being able to take advantage of both rising and falling prices. If you take a short position in the market, you can potentially profit from falling gold prices. This is because you are trading CFDs for a commodity; you are not purchasing gold physically.
The last but not the least, you can trade gold with leverage! Trading gold with margin is possible on Blue Suisse. You can trade gold with 1:20 leverage on Blue Suisse. That means you can control a 20 times larger position in the market with leverage, even though you deposit a relatively lower amount.
Please note that trading with margin is highly risky. While your Blue Suisse account has Negative Balance Protection, you can still lose all your investment if the markets move against you.

Yes! Gold trading is available with a demo account on Blue Suisse. That means you can learn and practice trading gold with a risk-free, demo account. You will experience the live trading conditions in the market while risking nothing!

Usually, the best time to trade gold is when market sessions overlap and market volatility reaches its maximum. Liquidity increases during market overlaps, which means you will be able to spot more entry points and your orders will be executed more accurately. Also, keep an eye on the economic news releases that will potentially affect USD. It is a good idea to time your day trading with US market hours.

XAUUSD is a popular instrument in the financial markets as traders are always seeking for opportunities in the gold market. You can start trading gold immediately with a free Blue Suisse account. If you are not ready, you can practice trading with a demo account.

Follow these easy steps to start trading gold:

Step 1: Register by filling out the form on Blue Suisse website here.

• If you want to try our platforms first, you can start with a demo account instead.

Step 2: Finish your application by confirming your identity. We will ask for a proof of identity and a proof of address.

Step 3: Make your first deposit via secure methods, including credit card, bank transfer or others.

Step 4: Access a trading platform. Either install the software or access TradeMaster’s web version via your browser.

Step 5: Look for XAU/USD or XAU/EUR using the search function and start trading immediately.