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Research note

What to check on a gold (XAUUSD) broker account

August 19, 2026 · Peak Pips desk

Gold tickets gap, widen, and roll. Check contract size, typical spread plus commission, and whether the entity is even allowed to offer you CFDs.

  • Education, not a signal
  • Check the register yourself
  • Leverage can wipe a deposit

Gold is not a tighter EURUSD. Spreads jump around news and session opens. A “from 0.0” banner on majors does not describe XAUUSD at 13:30 New York.

Specs first

Read contract size, digits, and margin on the broker’s own specification sheet. Then add spread plus commission the way we describe in the cost table note. Swap still applies if you hold overnight.

Entity still wins

If the firm cannot show a licence that covers you for CFDs, the gold ticket is irrelevant. Use the shortlist only after a register search. Charts on our tools page are for watching, not copying.

Leverage on gold can wipe a small account quickly. That is product risk, not a review score. Read the risk disclaimer before you size up.

This is editorial. It is not advice, a broker pitch, or a call to deposit. Confirm licences and costs on the firm’s own site.

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