Trusted commodity trading platform in South Africa
Trade commodities with tight spreads on gold and oil while accessing global markets to diversify your portfolio.
Trade commodities in South Africa with Exness
Expand your portfolio
by capitalizing on commodity trading opportunities in South Africa and beyond.
Enjoy trading gold and oil with tight spreads
and keep more of what you make.
Get better-than-market conditions
and take advantage of customizable leverage, tight spreads, and seamless execution.
Commodity market spreads and swaps in South Africa
Symbol | Avg. spread¹ pips | Commission per lot/side | Leverage | Long swap pips | Short swap pips | Stop level* pips |
|---|
Commodity market conditions
The global commodity market gives South African traders access to gold, oil, and other energies and precious metals. Trade rising and falling prices without owning the asset—speculate on movements and manage risk with precision.
Spreads¹
Trade gold and oil with some of the tightest spreads available. Spreads fluctuate based on market liquidity; check your trading platform for live rates.
During lower liquidity periods, spreads may widen temporarily until market conditions stabilize.
Swaps
Swaps apply to commodity trading positions held overnight. Use our Trading calculator to estimate swap costs.
Triple swaps apply on Thursdays for metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium due to market closures over the weekend.
For traders in South Africa, swap-free accounts are available where applicable.
Dynamic margin requirements
Leverage impacts margin requirements. Adjusting leverage will change the margin needed for XAU (gold) and XAG (silver) pairs. Since market conditions fluctuate, margin requirements also change. See the FAQ section below for more details.
Fixed margin requirements
The following commodities have fixed margin settings, regardless of the maximum leverage set on your account:
- Leverage is set at 1:1000 for XAL (aluminum), XCU (copper), XNI (nickel), XPB (lead), XPT (platinum), XPD (palladium), and XZN (zinc)
- Leverage is set at 1:20 for XNGUSD
- Leverage is set at 1:1000 and 1:200, respectively, for USOIL and UKOIL, except during periods of increased margin requirements
To account for higher market volatility over weekends, USOIL and UKOIL leverage is temporarily reduced.
- USOIL: Leverage is capped at 1:20 from Friday 16:45 (GMT+0) to Sunday 22:59 (GMT+0)
- UKOIL: Leverage is capped at 1:20 from Friday 08:00 (GMT+0) to Monday 00:30 (GMT+0)
Stop level
Stop levels in the table above may change and not be available for traders using specific strategies or Expert Advisors.
Trading hours
- XAU: Sunday 22:05 – Friday 20:58 (daily break 20:58-22:02)
- XAG: Sunday 22:05 – Friday 20:58 (daily break 20:58-22:01)
- XPDUSD, XPTUSD: Sunday 22:10 – Friday 20:58 (daily break 20:58-22:05)
- XALUSD, XCUUSD, XPBUSD, XZNUSD: daily 00:00 – 17:55 (daily break 17:55-00:00)
- XNIUSD: Monday 00:01 – Friday 18:00 (daily break 18:00-00:01)
- USOIL: Sunday 22:01 – Friday 20:57 (daily break 20:59-22:01)
- XNGUSD: Sunday 22:10 – Friday 20:44 (daily break 20:45-22:10)
- UKOIL: Monday 00:10 – Friday 20:54 (daily break 20:55-00:10)
All timings are in server time (GMT+0).
Learn more about trading hours in our Help Center.
Why trade commodities online with Exness?
Trade commodities with a platform designed for South African traders, offering tight spreads and fast execution.
Tight spreads
Enjoy the tightest spreads¹ even during high-impact market events, keeping trading costs minimal.
Fast execution
Never miss an opportunity—get your orders executed in milliseconds on MT4, MT5, and Exness Terminals.
Unmatched financial security
Trade with Negative Balance Protection and benefit from PCI DSS-compliant financial security and segregated client accounts.
Navigate commodities trading like a pro
Explore our in-depth trading guides and gain an advantage in the commodities markets. Thorough and insightful strategies, designed for all types of traders.
Frequently asked questions
Commodities are raw materials like gold, oil, and gas. They are traded globally and priced according to supply, demand, and other economic factors. South African traders can take advantage of these price fluctuations through online CFD trading.
South African traders can access a variety of commodity CFDs with Exness, including:
1. Precious metals: XAUUSD (gold), XAGUSD (silver), and XPTUSD (platinum).
2. Energies: USOIL (West Texas crude), UKOIL (Brent crude), and XNGUSD (natural gas).
Many traders hedge against inflation with gold, while others capitalize on energy market volatility.
Gold, silver, and platinum are the most widely traded precious metals, while oil and gas lead in energy markets. Commodities attract traders due to their liquidity and dynamic relation to the US dollar's movements.
Trading commodities carries inherent risks, primarily market volatility, leverage exposure, and currency fluctuations. Market volatility refers to rapid price movements that can impact profitability, making timing and risk management essential for traders.
Fundamental factors such as political stability, global supply and demand, and economic performance also influence commodity prices. South African traders need to stay informed about economic policies, market news, and industry reports to make well-informed decisions.
Additionally, leveraged trading magnifies both potential gains and losses. Without a solid risk management plan, traders could face substantial losses. Utilizing stop-loss orders, position sizing, and diversification can help mitigate risks while navigating the commodity market effectively.
Important economic news and events tend to create sharp moves and price gaps. To protect traders during periods of high volatility, we reduce leverage on gold pairs to 1:200 and silver pairs to 1:100.
At Exness, we ensure no slippage for nearly all pending orders executed at least three hours after an instrument's trading session opens.
However, your order will be executed at the first available market price if:
- Market conditions are abnormal, such as during periods of low liquidity or high volatility.
- A price gap exceeds the slippage-free range for that instrument. This means the difference in pips between the first market quote and your requested price is equal to or greater than the predefined threshold.
This slippage rule applies only to specific trading instruments.
Exness is a leading commodity trading platform offering tight spreads, fast execution, and transparent pricing.
Gold spreads start from just 0.3 pips—you can access a full archive of historical tick data of real-time Exness pricing here.
Exness is a trusted commodity trading platform in South Africa, offering tight spreads, fast execution, and full pricing transparency—especially for gold and oil.
Reliable execution and minimal slippage means traders have more control in fast-moving markets.
Exness gives South African traders access to tight spreads on gold and oil by combining advanced pricing models, low-latency infrastructure, and strong liquidity partnerships.
With ongoing improvements to our pricing and execution speed, Exness continues to be a top choice for gold and oil trading in South Africa. Trading conditions may vary depending on market activity and liquidity.
Start trading commodities today
It only takes 3 minutes to get your account set up and ready for trading.
- Spreads may fluctuate and widen due to factors including market volatility and liquidity, news releases, economic events, when markets open or close, and the type of instruments being traded.