What are the best times to trade?

[Epimyth]

The forex market is open during regular business hours in four different time zones around the globe. The most active trading period and best trading opportunities are during the overlap of the U.S. and London markets (8 a.m. to noon EST). Additionally, some traders favour nighttime trading. For experienced traders using scalping or automatic trading strategies that typically perform well with less volatility as well as for new traders due to volatility's tendency to be lower, night trading on the forex markets has advantages.

 

[Miguel!!]

Depending on the currency group you will trade, different times are appropriate for trading. For instance, if I use the majors in the Forex group as an example, it is usually advisable to trade USD at the NY opening hour.

 

[Hootenany]

This is not how trading works. You can be profitable in the market because of your extensive knowledge and expertise only. In my opinion, there is no best or worst trading time.

 

[Jackyard]

Depending on where you’re located, which time frame you’re comfortable with, select and start trading. The market will move randomly, analyse its pattern according to the plan you wish to move with and you will have a chance of making good profits. Good luck!

 

[rj17]

Depends on what currency pairs, you trade, and whether there is suficient volume in the market at that time. Generally for london session, all GBP and euro pairs, and Us session, all us pairs, including indicies like nasdaq and us30.

 

[Nightale]

London session and New york session is the best, but choose only 1 session to trade, don't both

 

[Alexhunter]

In four distinct time zones throughout the world, the foreign exchange market is open during regular business hours.

When the U.S. and London markets overlap, trading activity is at its peak and trading opportunities are at their finest (8 a.m. to noon EST).

 

[aset]

It depends on your tactics and strategy.
It also depends on the currency pair.
I think that there are good and bad points depending on the amount of volatility, so you should try various things in the demo first.

 

[Momo89]

new to trading are there best times to trade, are spreads higher or lower at specific times, does the market move differently at specific time periods?

The best times to trade are during European Session and US session, since those two session have by far the highest trading volumen. So unless you want to do swingtrading, I would reccommend those two - for swing trading Asian session is best.
Spreads depends on the broker you use and what account type you have with them.

if you have more questions, you´re welcome to ask, I´ve been trading for over 10 years.

 

[skrimon]

When the USA and London markets are open. It's the perfect time to trade.

 

[AnalyticsTrade]

The best times to trade vary depending on the market you're interested in. For stock markets, trading during regular market hours generally provides higher liquidity. In the Forex market, active trading sessions overlap, creating more opportunities. Cryptocurrency markets are open 24/7, but major news or events can affect prices. Commodity markets have specific trading hours set by exchanges. Consider your trading style, preferred assets, and market conditions when determining the best times to trade. Stay informed and tailor your trading schedule to fit your availability.

 

[Kim11]

Typically, I favor market conditions that are very volatile and liquid. So I trade during the London and New York sessions since they are the busiest, accounting for more than half of all forex deals.

 

[Aldo-Jr]

I trade with EUR/USD, so I prefer trading between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. GMT during opening hours until GMT noon. The optimum time to trade is when the US trading session overlaps with the London session, which is usually between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM GMT.

 

[noahlucas]

The Forex market operates 24 hours a day, five days a week, allowing for trading opportunities at various times. However, certain periods tend to offer higher liquidity and increased trading activity, which can present more favorable trading conditions. Here are the key trading sessions in the Forex market:

1. London Session: The London session is considered one of the most active trading sessions, opening at 8:00 AM GMT and closing at 4:00 PM GMT. During this time, there is significant liquidity, particularly when overlapping with other sessions. Major currency pairs involving the British pound (GBP), euro (EUR), and Swiss franc (CHF) are most actively traded.
2. New York Session: The New York session is the most active session in terms of trading volume and liquidity. It starts at 1:00 PM GMT and closes at 9:00 PM GMT. This session overlaps with the end of the London session, leading to increased market activity. Major currency pairs involving the US dollar (USD) are particularly active during this time.
3. Tokyo Session: The Tokyo session, also referred to as the Asian session, begins at 12:00 AM GMT and ends at 9:00 AM GMT. While this session is typically less volatile compared to the London and New York sessions, it still presents trading opportunities, especially for currency pairs involving the Japanese yen (JPY).
4. Sydney Session: The Sydney session starts at 10:00 PM GMT and closes at 7:00 AM GMT. It is generally a quieter session with lower trading volumes. However, certain currency pairs, such as AUD (Australian dollar) and NZD (New Zealand dollar), may experience increased activity during this session.

It's worth noting that trading during session overlaps can provide heightened volatility and increased trading opportunities as multiple major financial centers are active simultaneously. Traders should consider their trading strategy, market liquidity, currency pairs of interest, and personal availability when determining the best times to trade in the Forex market. Additionally, news releases, economic data, and geopolitical events can significantly impact currency markets, so it's important to stay informed about such events that may affect your trading decisions.

 

[Shade1081]

It is known that the London Session and the American session carry the most amount of volatility where trading these sessions would lead to faster results. That said it really depends on your pair, I use the Average True Range Oscillator Indicator to really see what times the bars start to increase in side and what times on average have smaller bars during trading hours. On the 1H time frame you can see more clearly what the average time is when that particular pair picks up.

It's definition is: "The average true range (ATR) is a technical analysis indicator introduced by market technician J. Welles Wilder Jr. in his book New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems that measures market volatility by decomposing the entire range of an asset price for that period."