# How to Hedge Gold 24/7
> A short gold perpetual can offset some price risk in gold you already own. Learn how to size the hedge, manage weekend exposure, and account for funding and basis.
- Canonical: https://www.liquid.trade/learn/how-to-hedge-gold-24-7
- Published: 2026-09-18
- Category: Strategy
- Tags: Gold, GOLD, Hedging, Perpetuals, 24/7 Trading
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**To hedge gold 24/7, open a short gold perpetual against the gold you own.** The short gains when gold falls and loses when it rises, offsetting part or all of your holding's price movement. On Liquid, you can open and adjust a [GOLD hedge](https://app.liquid.trade/trade/xyz:GOLD) at night or over the weekend.
You keep your bullion or ETF shares and fund the short separately. Choose how much to hedge, then keep enough collateral to maintain it if gold rises.
## What does hedging gold actually mean?
Hedging gold means offsetting an existing exposure to changes in the gold price. If you own $20,000 of gold and short $10,000 of closely matching gold exposure, you have approximately a 50% price hedge. You still participate in some gains and losses.
The hedge works most directly for bullion and physically backed funds. Other gold investments include costs or risks beyond the metal price, as the [World Gold Council's investment overview](https://www.gold.org/goldhub/how-to-invest) explains.
| Existing holding | What a gold short may offset | What remains exposed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bars or bullion coins | The metal's benchmark price component | Dealer premiums, storage, insurance, and resale spread |
| Physically backed gold ETF | Much of the fund's gold price sensitivity | Fund expenses, share premiums or discounts, and market hours |
| Gold-backed token | The gold-linked part of its value | Issuer, custody, redemption, and token discount risk |
| Gold mining shares | Some sensitivity to gold | Company costs, debt, production, and stock-market risk |
## Can you hedge gold on weekends?
Yes. Gold perps let you adjust exposure while a bullion dealer or stock exchange is closed. The underlying [trade[XYZ] markets](https://docs.trade.xyz/) are designed for 24/7 trading.
Weekend news can move the perp while the last external quote is unchanged. The difference between your holding's value and the hedge price is called **basis**. It can widen when external markets are closed and change again when they reopen.
Check the spread and available liquidity before a weekend trade. Thin markets can make entering or closing a hedge more expensive, and venue interruptions can delay either action.
## How much gold should you short?
For bullion or a fund that tracks gold, start with:
**Hedge notional = gold price exposure × target hedge percentage.**
Use the gold-sensitive value of the holding, not necessarily the amount you paid for it. If sizing from bullion weight, use fine gold content and consistent units; check the perp's contract unit before translating ounces into a quantity.
Suppose your gold exposure is $20,000 and you open a $10,000 short. These hypothetical results assume both legs move by the same percentage, the short stays open, and there are no costs:
| Gold price move | Holding's change | Short's PnL | Combined change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Falls 5% | −$1,000 | +$500 | −$500 |
| Rises 5% | +$1,000 | −$500 | +$500 |
A $20,000 short would approximately offset both moves in full before costs. **A larger hedge reduces upside as well as downside.**
## Why can a gold hedge still lose money?
When gold rises, your holding gains and the short loses. Those gains and losses happen in separate accounts, which makes collateral management important.
Bullion in a vault or ETF shares in a brokerage account do not automatically count as collateral for a Liquid perpetual. A rally can liquidate an underfunded short even while the gold holding gains value elsewhere. If gold then falls, the original holding is exposed again.
You also pay or receive [funding](https://docs.liquid.trade/trading/funding-rates): shorts receive positive funding and pay negative funding. Rates change, so include the cost of holding the hedge in your plan.
Execution fees, slippage, basis changes, collateral risk, and venue interruptions can all produce a net loss even when the benchmark price barely changes. See [how liquidation works](/learn/what-is-liquidation) before sizing the collateral.
## How do you set up a gold hedge on Liquid?
1. **Measure the exposure.** Separate the gold price component from premiums, collectible value, or mining-company risk.
2. **Choose the coverage and duration.** Decide what fraction to offset and which event or date will end the hedge.
3. **Open the market.** Review [Gold on Liquid](/markets/gold), then open the [GOLD order ticket](https://app.liquid.trade/trade/xyz:GOLD).
4. **Enter a short for the target notional.** Select collateral and leverage after deciding the exposure. More leverage does not make the same notional a stronger hedge.
5. **Review the costs and margin.** Check funding, spread, fees, margin mode, and estimated liquidation price. Allow for a gold rally while the physical holding is inaccessible.
6. **Monitor both legs and unwind deliberately.** Recheck coverage when you buy or sell gold. Reduce the short when the exposure or hedge period ends.
A [stop loss](/learn/what-is-a-stop-loss) can close the short, leaving your gold unhedged. Allow for slippage and decide how you will manage the holding if that happens.
## When should you reduce or close the hedge?
Review it when the original event passes, your holding changes, funding becomes too costly, or the contract stops tracking the exposure closely enough. Selling the gold while keeping the short creates a new bearish position. Closing only the short restores the holding's full gold price exposure.
For related metals, read [how to hedge silver 24/7](/learn/how-to-hedge-silver-24-7). For the recurring cost of the strategy, see [What Are Funding Rates?](/learn/what-are-funding-rates).
[Review the gold market →](/markets/gold) · [Open GOLD on Liquid →](https://app.liquid.trade/trade/xyz:GOLD)