Kalshi’s 15-min gold markets overtake Ether just weeks after launch

What happened

The company said in September that commodities trading volume had reached $400 million within seven months, more than four times the volume its crypto markets had generated at the same stage. “Crypto markets demonstrated the potential for new categories on Kalshi to scale from tens of millions to billions in monthly volume,” the company said.

Gold recorded 542 million contracts and an estimated $5 million in fees in September, surpassing Ether’s 318 million contracts and $2.6 million, though Bitcoin remained far ahead. Kalshi’s 15-minute gold markets generated nearly twice the estimated trading fees of equivalent Ether markets in September, just weeks after their August launch.

The gold contracts, which let traders take positions on whether gold will rise or fall over 15-minute intervals, generated about $5 million in estimated fees during the month, compared with $2.6 million for Ether contracts, according to Predict Charts. Bitcoin remained the dominant market, generating $60.4 million in estimated fees. The growth in short-duration gold markets comes as Kalshi’s broader commodities business has been expanding.