Donaldson R F Gold FAQ
Short answers about trading gold, where the data on this site comes from, and the tools and companies I use.
Risk. Trading carries a high level of risk and you can lose more than you expected. This is information, not advice. Read the Risk Disclosure.
New to gold trading
- What does XAU/USD mean?
- It is the price of one troy ounce of gold in US dollars. When people say they trade gold on MetaTrader, this is usually the pair they mean. Brokers may write it XAUUSD.
- Why does gold move when a US report comes out?
- Gold is priced in dollars. Reports on jobs, inflation and interest rates change what traders expect from the dollar and from interest rates, and gold often reacts within minutes. Past reactions are not a promise of the next one.
- Is trading gold risky?
- Yes. Gold can move several dollars in seconds, and leverage multiplies both gains and losses. You can lose more than you expected, quickly. Nothing on this site is financial advice.
- Do I need a lot of money to start?
- No. My signal account started small on purpose, so beginners can follow it and grow with it. The lot size is adjustable, so the same approach works for any account size. A small account still carries the same risk per trade, so start with a demo account.
- What is a lot, a pip and a point on gold?
- A lot is the trade size. On most brokers one lot of gold is 100 ounces. A point is the smallest price step the broker shows. My tools state which unit they use, and the Pips and Points converter shows the difference.
- Where can I practise without risking money?
- Open a demo account with your broker and use the same Expert Advisors there first. Every DRF Expert Advisor page asks you to test on a demo account first, and to use a real account only when everything works as you expect.
- What is MetaTrader 5?
- MetaTrader 5 (MT5) is the trading platform most gold traders use. The DRF Expert Advisors are for MT5. I use them on XAUUSD, and they work on any symbol, so test on a demo account first.
About this site and its data
- What is Gold Live?
- One page, Gold Live, with the spot price, my own indicator bias, the technical summary, the news I am watching, the spreads at three companies and my signal account. If a block has nothing fresh to show, it says so.
- What is the daily article?
- A written reading of gold for the day. The Market Analysis series in the Gold blog has 43 numbered articles from August to October 2026. The daily robot that writes them (DRF Bot) is not running yet, so there is no fixed daily schedule at the moment.
- Where does the price on the site come from?
- The spot price comes from a public gold price service. The indicator readings, the signal and the spreads come from my own MetaTrader 5 terminals, which send them to the DRF server. If a block has no fresh data it says so instead of showing a made-up number.
- What is the DRF bias?
- My own technical read of gold on M15, H1 and H4, with H4 weighted most: trend, momentum and where price sits in its recent range. It is a reading, not a trade instruction.
- What is the indicator consensus?
- Every moving average and oscillator in my technical summary, on all five timeframes, counted as one vote each.
- What time zone do you use?
- Gold Live and the tools show times in your own local time. The older articles use London time and say so. Brokers often follow a different clock, so the gap between your broker and your local time can change twice a year.
- What is DRF Bot?
- The editorial robot of this site. It will turn the live data into a short text (the Market Quick Take) and a daily article. It is a program that follows rules I set. It is not running yet.
Brokers, accounts and tools
- Why do you show spreads for three companies?
- Those are the three real accounts I use: IC Markets, IC Trading and FTMO. Each card on the spreads page comes from the terminal of that account and shows the time of its last reading.
- Do you recommend a broker?
- I recommend only what I use, and I have been a client of IC Markets, IC Trading, FTMO and IONOS for many years. Some of these are affiliate links: if you open an account through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See the Brokers and hosting I use page and the Affiliate Disclosure.
- Can I check your account?
- The DRF Signal page shows the figures that the account publishes, in euro, including the losing days. It is information, not advice.
- Are the tools free?
- Yes. The XAU/USD calculators and data tools under Forex Trading Tools run in your browser and are free to use.
- Are the calculators financial advice?
- No. They give estimates from the numbers you enter. Check them against your own broker figures.
- How often is the gold blog updated?
- The 67 articles written so far are all here. New ones come when I have something worth saying, and later from DRF Bot. There is a newsletter if you want to be told.
- Can you test or build my own robot?
- Yes. See the Robot Test and Custom Expert Advisor services, or send me a message and I will say whether the work is free or paid.
- How do I contact you?
- Use the Contact page. I answer personally.
More questions about the Expert Advisors, the DRF Key and the signal are in the general FAQ, on the DRF Signal page and on the DRF Key page.