XM has launchedGOLD24-7, a gold trading instrument that allows clients to trade the metalseven days a week. The launch places the broker among a growing number ofretail firms offering weekend access to gold trading.The launch comes as retailbrokers continue expanding weekend trading products. Gold has remained one ofthe most traded instruments on retail platforms this year. Several brokers haveintroduced products intended to reduce the gap between Friday's market closeand Monday's reopening.Last month, VantageMarkets launched XAUUSD247, its own seven-day gold CFD. CMCMarkets introduced weekend gold trading in April. XM Launches Weekend Gold Trading AccessUnlike traditionalgold CFDs, which follow standard market hours, GOLD24-7 allows trading onSaturdays and Sundays, when the underlying spot and futures markets are closed.XM said the product isintended to allow clients to respond to market developments outside standardtrading hours."Markets don'tstop generating news simply because it's the weekend," said Stavri Morti,Co-CEO at XM. He said "economic data, geopolitical developments andbreaking news" can influence market sentiment over the weekend. Accordingto Morti, GOLD24-7 gives clients "greater flexibility to respond to thosedevelopments as they happen, instead of waiting until Monday."Liquidity ProvidersMoved into Weekend Gold EarlierThe launch followssimilar developments in the institutional market.In March, ScopePrime introduced DIGIXAU, a continuous gold CFD for institutional clients.The company said the product was intended to help manage exposure duringweekend market closures.In June, Match-Primelaunched 24/7 CFDs on gold, silver, oil and US indices through itsCyprus-regulated entity. The company provides pricing to brokers rather thanretail traders.Retail products differfrom institutional offerings such as LMAXGroup's perpetual gold futures, launched earlier this year. Productsincluding XM's GOLD24-7 and Vantage Markets' XAUUSD247 are broker-priced CFDsfor retail clients rather than exchange-traded instruments.This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.