October 2026 Gold Market Calendar: Inflation, Central-Bank Meetings, and Futures Expiry Dates

October 2026 has a concentrated run of gold-market catalysts: U.S. jobs data on October 2, the U.S. CPI report on October 14, a Federal Reserve decision on October 28, and the September PCE inflation report on October 29. The October-delivery COMEX Gold (GC) futures contract is scheduled to stop trading October 28. These dates matter for different reasons: macro data can shift expectations for interest rates, while a futures last-trade date affects only the specified contract and its delivery process.

Hypothetical example: Jordan follows a gold ETF and is considering a purchase in October. Jordan marks October 14 and October 29 as inflation-data days, October 28 as a central-bank and futures-contract date, and October 2 as a jobs report. Jordan does not treat those dates as automatic buy or sell signals. This is an illustrative planning example, not an actual investor’s experience or a forecast for gold prices.

October 2026 gold calendar

Schedules can be amended. This calendar was checked against agency and exchange schedules available September 29, 2026. Recheck the original calendar before acting, especially for exchange hours and contract-specific delivery deadlines.

Why are October’s inflation dates important for gold?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases September’s U.S. CPI on October 14 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, then September’s PPI on October 15 at the same time. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) releases September Personal Income and Outlays on October 29 at 8:30 a.m. ET; that report includes the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, the inflation measure the Federal Reserve often references in policy discussions. BEA also schedules the advance estimate of third-quarter GDP for that same morning.

For Jordan, the useful question is not simply whether inflation rose or fell. A report that surprises markets may shift expectations for future rates, real yields, or the U.S. dollar. Higher real yields or a stronger dollar can weigh on dollar-priced gold in some conditions, while falling yields or a weaker dollar can support it. But gold also responds to safe-haven demand, central-bank activity, positioning, and other forces. The market reaction depends on what was already expected and on the broader news at the time. A single data release does not determine a reliable price direction.

Employment data on October 2 adds another input to that rate outlook. The BLS calendar schedules the September Employment Situation at 8:30 a.m. ET. Eurostat also schedules a September euro-area inflation flash estimate for October 2. That release can matter through the euro-dollar exchange rate and changing expectations for ECB policy; it does not replace the U.S. CPI or PCE reports.

Which central-bank dates stand out?

The Federal Reserve’s October FOMC meeting is scheduled for October 27–28. The Fed’s October calendar lists the October 28 policy announcement at 2:00 p.m. ET and the press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET. Minutes from the prior meeting are scheduled for October 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Jordan can separate the two: minutes explain a past discussion, while the October 28 statement communicates the current decision and policy guidance.

October 28 is unusually crowded. The Bank of Canada’s schedule lists an interest-rate announcement and Monetary Policy Report at 9:45 a.m. ET. The ECB’s calendar shows a two-day policy meeting on October 28–29, with the second day and press conference on October 29. The Bank of Japan lists a monetary-policy meeting on October 29–30. These decisions may matter to gold through currency and global rate expectations. Do not assume all banks meet at the same time or that a date alone reveals a decision.

What does the October 28 futures date mean?

CME Group says standard COMEX Gold futures trading terminates on the third-to-last business day of the delivery month. For October 2026, the final three business days are October 28, 29, and 30, making October 28 the scheduled last trading day for the October-delivery GC contract. This date is derived from the exchange’s contract rule and the October 2026 calendar; it is not a separate prediction about gold prices.

That rule does not mean all gold futures expire on October 28. Futures contracts have different delivery months, and gold-linked exchange-traded funds, bullion, and spot-market quotes are not the same contract. CME maintains a product calendar and expiration tools; brokers may also set earlier deadlines for customers who cannot make or take delivery. A trader holding a physically deliverable contract should read the applicable contract specifications, clearing notices, and broker’s cutoff rules well before the last trading day.

Trading activity can shift from a delivery-month contract into a later month before the formal last trade date. That process is commonly called rolling: a market participant closes or offsets one contract and opens a position in a later contract. Volume changes around a roll can affect liquidity and the price difference between contract months. It does not, by itself, mean that the underlying spot gold price must rise or fall.

China’s National Day pause and October 12

The Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) announced that it will close October 1–7 for China’s National Day holiday and resume normal trading October 8. This is a specific venue schedule. It can interrupt trading and price discovery on the SGE while other global markets remain open, and it may affect local premiums or liquidity conditions. It does not close COMEX, London OTC trading, or every gold market around the world.

October 12 is Columbus Day in the United States. It is useful to distinguish a government holiday, a bond-market convention, exchange trading, and clearing. SIFMA recommends a full close that day for covered U.S. dollar fixed-income markets. CME’s 2026 holiday notice says it will derive and disseminate settlement prices for CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX products on October 12 at their normal times, while its holiday-processing memo lists no intraday clearing cycle. For a specific gold futures product, use CME’s current Globex hours rather than assuming the U.S. federal holiday either closes every futures session or leaves all processing unchanged.

How Jordan can use the calendar

• If following a gold ETF or bullion: Mark the inflation and central-bank dates as possible volatility windows, then check how the specific product is priced and traded.
• If trading COMEX futures: Identify the exact contract month and verify its last trade and delivery deadlines with CME and the broker. Do not use the October GC date for a December contract.
• If comparing international prices: Note the SGE closure October 1–7 and reopening October 8; compare markets only when both venues are open and their quotations are current.
• If watching macro releases: Use the timestamp and time zone in the publishing agency’s calendar. Focus on the reported figure relative to market expectations and the accompanying rate, yield, and currency response.

For the hypothetical Jordan, the practical short list is October 2, 14–15, 27–30, plus the SGE closure and reopening dates. Those are checkpoints for research and risk planning, not automatic trading instructions. The October 2026 gold calendar is a schedule of known events; it cannot say in advance how markets will interpret the data or what gold will do afterward.

Official sources: BLS October 2026 release calendar; BLS CPI release schedule; BEA release schedule; Federal Reserve October 2026 calendar; FOMC meeting calendar; Bank of Canada upcoming events; ECB Governing Council meeting calendar; Bank of Japan monetary-policy meeting schedule; CME Gold futures contract specifications; CME Gold futures calendar; CME Group trading hours and holiday schedules; CME Columbus Day 2026 settlement-time notice; Shanghai Gold Exchange 2026 holiday notice; ECB HICP release calendar.