CME Group Launches 24-Hour Micro Oil Futures and Gold Contracts, Starting July 26

According to CME Group on June 11, the derivatives exchange announced plans to introduce 24-hour, seven-day-a-week trading for micro crude oil futures and 1-ounce gold futures contracts. The new micro crude oil contract, sized at one-tenth of the existing Micro WTI contract, will launch on NYMEX on August 30, while gold futures trading will go live on COMEX on July 26. Both contracts are pending regulatory approval and will use cash settlement.

Micro WTI crude oil futures saw daily average volumes of 272,000 contracts in May, up 317% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the 1-ounce gold futures contract, introduced in January 2025, recorded daily average trading volume of 90,000 contracts in 2026, according to CME data.