APEX Gold Perpetual Futures – The New Gold Standard In Trading Gold

Alevin K Chan

Alevin K Chan

Last updated 24 May, 2024

Long favoured as a safe-haven asset, gold is coming back into the spotlight. Learn how APEX Gold Perpetual Futures work, and how you can earn up to S$1,000 cashback with Phillip Nova. 

Gold trading holds a timeless appeal among investors for several reasons. Gold is a safe haven asset that holds up its value; is an effective hedge during high inflation; adds diversity to an investment portfolio; and is resilient against market crashes – the commodity made gains during six of the eight largest stock market crashes in the past four decades. 

In 2024, the allure of gold trading shines brighter than ever. Gold reached a new record high of US$2,400 in April. And, with US Fed interest rate cuts looming, US Treasury yields have likely peaked, bringing investor interest back to gold. Additionally, gold buying is increasing, driven by central banks which account for a quarter of annual gold demand worldwide in 2022 and 2023. 

Table of contents


Gold trading: Spot gold vs APEX Gold Perpetual Futures 

If you’ve been looking to start adding gold to your own portfolio, it’s essential to first understand how gold trading works. Let’s examine two popular methods – spot gold trading and gold futures, specifically APEX Gold Perpetual Futures, which is traded on the Asia Pacific Exchange (APEX). We’ve summed up the main differences between them in the following table.

Feature
Spot gold
APEX Gold Perpetual Futures
Leverage 
5x (20% margin)
Higher leverage (20x or around 5% margin)
Expiry Date
No expiry
No expiry
Overnight Position
Incurs swaps
Daily rollover (similar to swaps but with better rates) 

In spot gold trading, you’re trading gold bullion at the current market price (spot price). You can take long or short positions on your trade depending on your view of the market. Leverage may be used with spot gold trading, but only a relatively modest rate of 5x is allowed. Trades have no expiry, but holding overnight positions will incur swap fees. 

In comparison, APEX Gold Perpetual Futures settle the terms of the trade (price and quantity) at a stipulated date in the future. This is a more flexible way to trade the price action of gold. 

Traders may take long or short positions on their futures contracts, and trades do not expire, which offer greater control over when to take profits. However, overnight positions incur swap fees, albeit at a lower rate than spot gold trading.  

Finally, APEX Gold Perpetual Futures can be traded on leverage, up to 20x. This is much higher than spot gold trading, allowing greater trading potential.


Why choose APEX Gold Perpetual Futures

Clearly, gold perpetual futures is the way to go if you’re looking to trade the commodity’s price action. Here are five reasons to consider choosing APEX Gold Perpetual Futures. 

Capital efficiency 

One reason why traders prefer gold futures is capital efficiency, which can be achieved through the use of leverage. With leverage, traders can use a smaller amount of capital to start trading, instead of having to pay the full price of gold. This means you can spread your capital across several trades at one go. 

With more than 20x leverage, APEX Gold Futures allows you to spread your capital across several trades at once.

Low commission

As any experienced trader will tell you, commissions and fees impact your trading profits. Hence, it’s important to choose a brokerage with low commission to keep your costs of trading at an acceptable level. 

Phillip Nova charges a competitive commission for its APEX Gold Perpetual Futures – starting from as low as $0.40 per contract.

Low holding costs

High holding costs can pose a challenge if you’re looking to hold gold futures over a prolonged period of time while you wait for a suitable trading opportunity. Phillip Nova APEX Gold Perpetual Futures offers low holding costs, so you have greater flexibility to hold gold for the long term to see through your bullish view. 

Variety of lot sizes

APEX Gold Perpetual Futures offers a variety of lot sizes – 1oz, 10oz and 100oz contract sizes – for trading. This allows traders to easily scale up or scale down their positions to match their desired exposure.

Flexibility in gold trading

When taking all of the above into consideration, the advantage of APEX Gold Perpetual Futures becomes apparent. Gold traders can enjoy greater flexibility, compared to traditional trading methods. 

Furthermore, APEX Gold Perpetual Futures is a perpetual contract, which means there is no expiry date to deal with, allowing traders to hold their positions indefinitely. This provides traders with full control over when to take profits based on their view of the market. 

If you're looking to trade in APEX Gold Perpetual Futures or precious metals, one brokerage to consider is Phillip Nova. 


Who is Phillip Nova?

The name “Philip Nova” may sound new, but the brokerage is actually part of the PhillipCapital Group. Phillip Nova is no new kid on the block – it was established in 1983 under the name Phillip Futures, and has been serving the market for over 40 years now. 

The platform was rebranded to Phillip Nova to mark its expansion into stocks and ETF trading alongside its existing focus on futures, forex, and CFDs.


Phillip Nova APEX Gold Perpetual Futures Cashback Campaign 

Phillip Nova is holding a cashback campaign that gives you further bang for your buck when trading APEX Gold Perpetual Futures. 

You can receive up to S$1,000 cashback by following these 3 steps: 

  1. Open an account with Phillip Nova here 
  2. Fund your account with at least S$5,000. Amounts lesser than S$5,000 will not be eligible for cashback.
  3. Trade a minimum of 5 lots of APEX Gold Perpetual Futures or its equivalent to qualify for cashback.

Here’s how much cashback you can receive:

Deposit amount
Eligible cashback 
S$5,000 to S10,000
10% of deposit amount
More than S$10,000
S$1,000

This campaign is valid till 30th June 2024, so don’t miss your chance to earn your cashback. Note that campaign terms and conditions apply. 


Unlock the potential of gold with APEX Gold Perpetual Futures

Gold’s status as a safe haven asset may have given the commodity a somewhat unexciting reputation. But as discussed, gold offers traders much more potential than simply being an inflation hedge or a long-term investment. 

With APEX Gold Perpetual Futures, gold traders can unlock the commodity’s untapped potential and enjoy greater flexibility and enhanced trading opportunities. Don’t miss the opportunity to ride the coming wave as economic conditions turn the spotlight back onto the most valuable of precious metals. 

Sign up for a Phillip Nova account here and start trading gold perpetual futures today. 


This article was written in partnership with Phillip Nova


Read these next:
Complete Guide to Investing in Gold in Singapore
Are Precious Metals Worth Investing In?
7 Most Popular Types of Investment in Singapore

Alevin loves helping people make good money decisions. He briefly flirted with being a Financial Advisor, but quickly realised writing about personal finance is the better way to go.

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