The gold futures market is one of a number of commodity futures, wherein contracts are entered into, agreeing to buy or sell gold at a certain price at a date in the future. Gold futures are used both as a way for producers and movers of gold  to hedge their products against drastic fluctuations in the market, and as a way for speculators to make money off of those same movements in the market.

The gold futures market is one of the most heavily invested markets in the world, and often acts as a market people run to when the broader market is suffering. The gold futures market is very attractive for investors, in part because trading on margin allows for the relatively small movements of the gold market to translate into large financial gains.