Is a liquidity sweep the same as a stop hunt?

The terms are used interchangeably. Both describe price reaching resting stop orders beyond an obvious level before reversing.

When does gold sweep most often?

Around the London and New York opens and on the first test of the previous session's high or low, when stop density is highest.

How do I tell a sweep from a real breakout?

Acceptance. A genuine breakout holds beyond the level and continues; a sweep closes back inside the prior range quickly.

Can I automate a sweep entry on XAUUSD?

Only after the rules are written and validated on a meaningful sample. Automating an unvalidated pattern just loses money faster.

WHAT IS A LIQUIDITY SWEEP ON GOLD?

A liquidity sweep on gold is a push beyond an obvious high or low that fills the stop orders resting there before price reverses back inside the previous range. Stops cluster just past visible reference points such as the prior day extremes, the Asian session range and round numbers, and those stops are the cheapest liquidity available to anyone needing to fill size in the other direction.

The distinguishing test is acceptance: a genuine XAUUSD breakout holds beyond the level and continues, while a sweep closes back inside range quickly. Sweeps concentrate around the London and New York opens, and the pattern is only worth trading once entry, invalidation and confirmation are written down and measured across a tagged sample of at least a hundred gold trades.