US daylight saving time ends on Sunday 1 November 2026. India does not change its clocks, so from Monday 2 November every gold session and US news release tied to New York time moves one hour later in IST. The London close killzone, for example, shifts from 19:30–21:30 IST to 20:30–22:30 IST, and US data at 08:30 New York moves from 18:00 to 19:00 IST.
Why gold trading times in IST change on 2 November
IST is fixed at UTC+5:30 all year. New York is not. In US summer time, New York is 9 hours 30 minutes behind IST. When the US returns to standard time, the gap grows to 10 hours 30 minutes.
Gold trades almost around the clock, but its busiest hours, its daily close and most of its market-moving news are set by New York. So when New York changes, the Indian trader's schedule changes with it. The clocks go back on Sunday 1 November 2026, while markets are shut for the weekend, so the first full trading day on the new times is Monday 2 November.
If you rely on memory ("NFP is at 18:00"), this week catches you out.
Gold killzones in IST: before and after the clock change
ICT killzones are time windows when gold has historically been more active. They are defined in New York time, so in IST they all shift by one hour. Our guide to ICT killzones for gold explains what each one is for.
| Session / killzone | IST until 1 Nov 2026 (US summer time) | IST from 2 Nov 2026 (US winter time) |
|---|---|---|
| Asian | 05:30–09:30 | 06:30–10:30 |
| London | 11:30–14:30 | 12:30–15:30 |
| New York | 16:30–19:30 | 17:30–20:30 |
| London close | 19:30–21:30 | 20:30–22:30 |
For most Indian traders, the winter schedule is slightly kinder in the evening. The New York killzone now runs to 20:30 IST rather than 19:30 IST. The flip side is that late-night events, such as Fed decisions, move past midnight.
NFP, CPI and FOMC times in IST after the change
US economic releases follow New York clocks, so they shift too.
| Event | New York time | IST until 1 Nov 2026 | IST from 2 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFP (jobs report), CPI and other 08:30 data | 08:30 | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| US stock market open | 09:30 | 19:00 | 20:00 |
| 10:00 NY data | 10:00 | 19:30 | 20:30 |
| FOMC statement | 14:00 | 23:30 | 00:30 (next day) |
| Fed press conference | 14:30 | 00:00 (next day) | 01:00 (next day) |
Two dates worth noting:
- The next FOMC statement is due on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 14:00 New York time, before the change, so it lands at 23:30 IST. Our October 2026 Fed meeting preview covers it.
- If the jobs report follows its usual first-Friday pattern, the first one after the change would fall on Friday 6 November 2026, at 19:00 IST. Always confirm the date on an economic calendar, because release dates sometimes move.
Why care so much about the hour? In our M15 data from July 2022 to September 2026 (about 98,000 candles), the 08:30 New York candle on the first Friday of the month averaged about 4.4 times a normal 15-minute candle. Being an hour early or late around that candle can mean entering in the middle of a spike. Our page on gold news events in IST covers the full schedule for both seasons.
The one-week UK and US mismatch
The UK changes its clocks a week earlier than the US, on Sunday 25 October 2026. So between 25 October and 1 November, Britain is already on winter time but New York is still on summer time.
For about a week, the gap between London and New York is one hour shorter than usual. In practice:
- Anything set by the London clock, such as the London open itself and London-based data releases, moves later in IST from 26 October.
- Anything set by the New York clock, including the ICT killzones in the table above and all US data, moves later in IST only from 2 November.
- The overlap between the London and New York sessions looks different for that week.
Mixing the two clocks during that week is an easy way to mistime an entry.
Broker server time: the hidden trap
Your MT5 chart does not show IST. It shows your broker's server time, which is set by the broker. Many brokers set their server clock so that the daily candle closes at 17:00 New York time, which means the server clock itself shifts when US clocks change.
That creates two common problems:
- Your chart hours shift relative to IST. A level you mark "at the 14:00 server candle" may correspond to a different IST time after the change.
- Daily candles and swaps move. The daily close at 17:00 New York is about 02:30 IST in US summer and about 03:30 IST in US winter. Our gold volatility by hour study found the 02:00 IST hour was the quietest of the day across the whole period, linked to the daily close and rollover, when wide spreads are typical. After the change, that quiet patch moves an hour later.
Check your broker's specification or support page for its server time rules, and do not assume it matches another broker.
Checklist for EA users before 1 November
Expert Advisors do not know about clock changes unless they are programmed to. An EA with fixed hours can quietly start trading at the wrong time. Before the weekend of 1 November:
- Check session filters. If your EA only trades certain hours, find out whether those hours are in server time, GMT or IST. Adjust them if they are not daylight-saving aware.
- Check news filters. If the EA pauses around high-impact news, make sure the calendar feed and time offset are correct after the change. A filter that is one hour off protects you from nothing.
- Check rollover and spread filters. If the EA avoids the daily close, confirm the blocked window has moved with it.
- Check end-of-day and Friday logic. Time-based exits and "close before weekend" rules may need a one-hour shift.
- Run a short visual test. In the MT5 Strategy Tester, replay a few days from last November and confirm trades and pauses happen when you expect.
- Check your VPS clock. Note which time zone it uses, and do not change it mid-week without knowing how your EA reads time.
- Watch the first live day. On Monday 2 November, check the journal to confirm the EA paused and traded at the correct hours.
Our model's trades are not limited to killzones; our hypothetical backtest found a killzone-only filter would have cut too many good trades. Even so, any time-based setting in any EA deserves a check twice a year. Our guide to the best time to trade gold in India shows how these hours fit into a normal IST day.
FAQ
When does the US clock change in 2026?
US daylight saving time ends on Sunday 1 November 2026. India does not change its clocks, so from Monday 2 November gold sessions and US news releases tied to New York time move one hour later in IST.
What time is NFP in India after the clock change?
NFP is released at 08:30 New York time, which becomes 19:00 IST from 2 November 2026, up from 18:00 IST in US summer. Confirm the exact date on an economic calendar each month.
What time is the FOMC decision in IST in winter?
In US winter time the FOMC statement at 14:00 New York time lands at 00:30 IST, after midnight. The 28 October 2026 decision comes before the change, so it is at 23:30 IST.
Do I need to change my EA settings for the US clock change?
Possibly. If your EA uses fixed hours for sessions, news or rollover and is not daylight-saving aware, those hours will be one hour off in IST after 1 November. Check every time-based input and watch the first trading day.
This article is educational and not financial advice. Trading gold and leveraged products carries a high risk of loss.
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