XAUUSD Gold ADR Stop-Loss, Session & Lot Size Calc

Try a worked example

Active gold trading session

12:00–16:00 UTC: London and New York both trading, with scheduled US data releases: a median 56% of the day's range. Shares measured on 257 trading days of Dukascopy XAUUSD data (2025-10-01 to 2026-09-29); past ranges, not a forecast.

Account balance (USD)

Dollar risk at 1%: $100

Risk per trade (%)

Share of the balance you accept losing at the stop

Entry price ($)

Example: the 2026-09-29 mid price, not a live quote. Enter yours (it moves stop and target prices only)

14-day ADR ($/oz)

Average of the last 14 daily high-low ranges; the default is the 14-day ADR to 2026-09-29. Enter today's

Today's high-low move so far ($/oz)

38% of the $94 ADR used so far

Stop multiple of the session fraction (×)

1.0× = half this session's typical swing (28.0% of ADR)

Custom stop override ($/oz, 0 = ADR auto)

Leave 0 to size from the session's ADR band

London–New York overlap (12:00–16:00 UTC) · $100 risk budget

38% of ADR used ($58.00 left): 0.03 lots on a $26.32 stop risks $78.96 of $100.00 (0 MGC: one MGC would risk $263.20)

ADR room left today

$58.00

38% of $94 ADR already traded

Typical London–New York overlap swing: $52.64

Suggested session stop

$26.32

263 pips (at $0.10/pip)

Long stop $4,123.68 · Short stop $4,176.32

XAUUSD lot size (100 oz)

0.03 lots

Risks $78.96 of $100.00 (rounded down to 0.01 lot)

0.3 × 10 oz · 3 × 1 oz · $3.00 per $1.00 move

COMEX Gold equivalent

0 MGC

One MGC would risk $263.20, over budget

2R target: Long $4,202.64 · Short $4,097.36

All four XAUUSD sessions compared (ADR $94, $100 risk)

Session	UTC window	Typical swing	Session stop	XAUUSD lots
Tokyo / Asian session	00:00–07:00 UTC	$50.76	$25.38	0.03 lots
London open & morning	07:00–12:00 UTC	$34.78	$17.39	0.05 lots
London–New York overlap	12:00–16:00 UTC	$52.64	$26.32	0.03 lots
New York afternoon	16:00–21:00 UTC	$36.66	$18.33	0.05 lots

Typical swing = your ADR × the session's median share of the day's range, measured on 257trading days of Dukascopy XAUUSD bid data (2025-10-01 to 2026-09-29, measured 2026-10-22); the stop is half that swing, a rule of thumb rather than a tested edge. Sizes round down to the 0.01-lot step and to whole futures contracts, so the risk never exceeds your budget. 1.00 XAUUSD lot = 100 oz on most brokers (check yours); 1 GC = 100 oz, 1 MGC = 10 oz (CME, read 2026-10-22). Session windows are fixed UTC blocks; the London and New York opens shift by an hour when daylight saving time changes. The ADR-used labels (55% mid-range, 85% late) are illustrative cut-offs.

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Writing about it instead? Cite the method and link the page:

The math: Swing = ADR14 × SessionShare · Stop($) = ½ × Swing × Mult · Lots = ⌊Risk ÷ (Stop × $100)⌋ to 0.01 · MGC = ⌊Risk ÷ (Stop × $10)⌋

Read the full guide

How XAUUSD Average Daily Range (ADR) and session volatility govern stop placement

This calculator starts from your own 14-day Average Daily Range (ADR) for spot gold (XAUUSD): the average of the last 14 daily high-low ranges on your chart. Gold's range in dollars grows with its price and changes with the news cycle. In ProEA's Dukascopy XAUUSD data (257 trading days, 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-29), the median day ranged $97.68 (about 2.18% of price) and the middle half of days $73.59 to $131.19. The calculator multiplies your ADR by each session's median share of the day's range, measured on that data, to show a typical session swing, and sets the stop at half that swing so it sits outside ordinary session noise. Those shares describe the past year, not a forecast.

Median share of the day's range by session, measured on 257 trading days (2025-10-01 to 2026-09-29, measured 2026-10-22); dollar figures on an example $94 ADR
Gold trading session	UTC window	Median share of the day's range	Calculator stop (half the swing)	What usually trades
Tokyo / Asian session	00:00–07:00 UTC	54% ($50.76)	27.0% of ADR ($25.38)	Asian physical and futures flows
London open & morning	07:00–12:00 UTC	37% ($34.78)	18.5% of ADR ($17.39)	European liquidity arrives; Asian highs and lows are often tested
London–New York overlap	12:00–16:00 UTC	56% ($52.64)	28.0% of ADR ($26.32)	Both centres trading, scheduled US data releases, Treasury yield moves
New York afternoon	16:00–21:00 UTC	39% ($36.66)	19.5% of ADR ($18.33)	After the London close; FOMC decision days can re-expand the range

Combining XAUUSD session ADR with exact lot and COMEX MGC sizing

Once you know the session-adjusted stop distance in dollars per troy ounce, position sizing follows exact contract math: 1.00 standard lot of XAUUSD (100 oz) moves $100 per $1.00 change in gold, while 0.10 mini lot (10 oz) and 1 COMEX Micro Gold contract (MGC) both move $10 per $1.00 change. The calculator rounds every size down (to 0.01 lot and to whole contracts), so the dollar risk never exceeds your budget; on a small account that can mean zero MGC contracts. COMEX gold futures trade almost around the clock on CME Globex, Sunday to Friday 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET with a daily one-hour break (CME contract specs, read 2026-10-22). Pair this calculator with our XAUUSD lot size calculator, live London–New York session overlap clock, Gold & Forex spread cost calculator and our complete XAUUSD position sizing guide.

Method and privacy

Method: Session swing = ADR14 × the session's median share of the day's range (Asian 00–07 UTC 54%, London 07–12 UTC 37%, London–NY overlap 12–16 UTC 56%, NY afternoon 16–21 UTC 39%; measured on 257 trading days of Dukascopy XAUUSD bid data, 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-29). Stop = half that swing × your multiple (a rule of thumb, not a tested edge), or your own stop. Lots = risk ÷ (stop × $100) rounded down to 0.01; MGC = risk ÷ (stop × $10) rounded down to a whole contract. 1.00 XAUUSD lot = 100 oz on most brokers (check yours); 1 GC = 100 oz and 1 MGC = 10 oz (CME contract specs, read 2026-10-22).

Calculations run entirely in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded. Your last numbers stay in this browser so you can pick up where you left off; Forget them clears them. A link with your numbers carries them after the # sign, which browsers do not send to servers, and the page takes them out of the address before any analytics loads. Copy and download actions save your calculation locally. The site may record coarse tool actions under its privacy policy, without inputs, results, file contents or filenames.

Common questions

Which session moves gold the most?

In ProEA's Dukascopy XAUUSD data (257 trading days, 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-29), the median London–New York overlap (12:00–16:00 UTC) covered 56% of the day's high-low range and the seven-hour Asian block (00:00–07:00 UTC) 54%, against 37% for the London morning (07:00–12:00) and 39% for the New York afternoon (16:00–21:00). A fixed dollar stop that holds in one block can sit inside ordinary noise in another, so the calculator scales the stop with your ADR and the session and cuts the lot size to keep the dollar risk within budget.

How can I use ATR or ADR to set a stop-loss?

Measure how far gold normally travels, then put the stop beyond that noise and size the trade to fit. ADR is the average daily high-low range; ATR (Average True Range) also counts overnight gaps. Take a fraction or multiple of it as the stop distance, then size the position as risk ÷ (stop × $100 per XAUUSD lot). With the calculator's example $94 ADR, the overlap swing is 56% × $94 = $52.64, the stop is half that ($26.32), and a $100 risk buys 0.03 lots (rounded down), risking $78.96.

What is the best ATR period to use?

There is no single best period. ATR is most often calculated over 14 periods (StockCharts ChartSchool: "Typically, the Average True Range (ATR) is based on 14 periods"), and its creator, J. Welles Wilder, often used 8. A shorter period reacts faster to a change in volatility; a longer one is steadier. This calculator uses a 14-day average daily range; test any period on your own data before relying on it.

StockCharts ChartSchool: Average True Range (ATR)

What is gold's typical daily range?

It changes with gold's price level and the news cycle. In ProEA's Dukascopy XAUUSD data (257 trading days, 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-29, measured 2026-10-22), the median day's high-low range was $97.68, about 2.2% of price; the middle half of days ranged from $73.59 to $131.19, and the 14-day average to 2026-09-29 was $93.75. That is past data, not a forecast: read today's value from an ADR or ATR(14) indicator on a daily chart and enter it.

How do XAUUSD CFD lot sizes convert to COMEX Micro Gold (MGC) and Gold (GC) futures contracts?

On most brokers 1 standard lot of XAUUSD is 100 troy ounces, moving $100 for every $1.00 change in gold—the same as 1 COMEX Gold (GC) contract of 100 oz. 0.10 lot (10 oz) moves $10 per $1.00—the same as 1 COMEX Micro Gold (MGC) contract of 10 oz (CME contract specs, read 2026-10-22). Futures trade in whole contracts, so the calculator rounds down: on a small account that can mean 0 MGC.

CME Group: Gold futures contract specs

How much does XAUUSD spread and commission reduce my true R:R ratio on gold scalps?

As an illustrative example, a $0.25 gold spread plus a $7.00 round-turn commission per lot costs $32.00 per standard lot on every trade—equal to $0.32 of gold price movement. On a tight $2.00 stop, that $0.32 consumes 16% of your risk budget before price moves.

Gold's plan and size on your chart

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