Gold (XAU/USD) is one of the most traded instruments in the world — a classic safe-haven that moves sharply around inflation data and geopolitical risk. These brokers offer competitive XAU/USD spreads, reliable execution and strong metals coverage.
The two things that matter most are tight XAU/USD spreads (gold spreads vary far more between brokers than EUR/USD does) and reliable execution during volatile releases like US CPI and NFP, when slippage can be severe. Adequate leverage matters too — EU/UK retail gold is capped at 1:20.
Almost all retail traders access gold as a CFD: you go long or short with leverage and never take delivery of physical metal, so there are no storage costs. In the UK you can also spread bet gold for tax-free profits — see our spread betting guide.
Exness, Pepperstone and FxPro are strong for gold thanks to tight XAU/USD spreads and fast execution; XM and HYCM are reliable all-rounders. Compare the gold spread specifically — it varies much more than major FX pairs.
EU and UK retail clients are capped at 1:20 on gold. Offshore entities offer much higher leverage, but without the same regulatory protections. Gold is volatile — size positions carefully.
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