Some hours are better to trade than other hours. Here’s a list of the most volatile trading hours for each of the 8 popular currencies.
There are times when the market doesn’t move at all, and it’s quite boring. This is usually during the Tokyo and Sydney sessions.
There are times which are quite wild and unexpected, and your stop loss limits can be breached temporarily, throwing you out of a generally good trade.
In general, the best trading hours are 10:00 to 12:00 GMT, when trading volume is high, but there aren’t too many indicators.
Everybody knows about the most dangerous hour: 12:30 GMT (or 8:30 in New York) when American indicators are usually released. On the first Friday of the month, this is especially dangerous..
Here’s a list of the most volatile hours for forex trading for each of the 8 major currencies:
Australian Dollar: 01:30 GMT. This is the time when most indicators are published. 04:30 also sees some indicators.
Swiss Franc: 07:15 GMT. While this is the strongest hour, publications happen many times at 7:00 or at 7:30, aroung the major hour.
British Pound: 8:30 GMT. Here, the timing is quite strict. Almost all the indicators are published at this hour. Only few indicators are not exactly at this time. 23:00 GMT (midnight in Britain) is also notable for some releases, but the major ones are at 8:30 GMT. Euro: 9:00 GMT. European indicators often come from Germany and France, and therefore the hours vary. Indicators start as early as 6:00 and end no later than 10:00.
Canadian Dollar: 12:30 GMT. Similar to its neighbor in the south, Canada releases many figures at this time. Note that the releases vary in Canada: some indicators are released as early as 11:00 GMT, and as late as 14:00 GMT.
US Dollar: 12:30 GMT. Most indicators, including the king – Non-Farm Payrolls are published at this time, one hour before the stock exchange opens. More than a few publications are made at 14:00 GMT, an hour and a half later. These 90 minutes are very volatile. Trading volume is very high. Banks in New York, London and all across Europe are trading at this time.
New Zealand Dollar: 22:45 GMT. In New Zealand, this is the most popular hour. Another hour that concentrates data is 21:00 GMT.
Japanese Yen: 23:50 GMT. This is very significant. Almost all the indicators are published at this time. Only a small group of releases are made at different times, with 23:30 being the most frequent. Note that all the times were made during the summer in the northern hemisphere. You should shift one hour down during the winter.
There are times when the market doesn’t move at all, and it’s quite boring. This is usually during the Tokyo and Sydney sessions.
There are times which are quite wild and unexpected, and your stop loss limits can be breached temporarily, throwing you out of a generally good trade.
In general, the best trading hours are 10:00 to 12:00 GMT, when trading volume is high, but there aren’t too many indicators.
Everybody knows about the most dangerous hour: 12:30 GMT (or 8:30 in New York) when American indicators are usually released. On the first Friday of the month, this is especially dangerous..
Here’s a list of the most volatile hours for forex trading for each of the 8 major currencies:
Australian Dollar: 01:30 GMT. This is the time when most indicators are published. 04:30 also sees some indicators.
Swiss Franc: 07:15 GMT. While this is the strongest hour, publications happen many times at 7:00 or at 7:30, aroung the major hour.
British Pound: 8:30 GMT. Here, the timing is quite strict. Almost all the indicators are published at this hour. Only few indicators are not exactly at this time. 23:00 GMT (midnight in Britain) is also notable for some releases, but the major ones are at 8:30 GMT. Euro: 9:00 GMT. European indicators often come from Germany and France, and therefore the hours vary. Indicators start as early as 6:00 and end no later than 10:00.
Canadian Dollar: 12:30 GMT. Similar to its neighbor in the south, Canada releases many figures at this time. Note that the releases vary in Canada: some indicators are released as early as 11:00 GMT, and as late as 14:00 GMT.
US Dollar: 12:30 GMT. Most indicators, including the king – Non-Farm Payrolls are published at this time, one hour before the stock exchange opens. More than a few publications are made at 14:00 GMT, an hour and a half later. These 90 minutes are very volatile. Trading volume is very high. Banks in New York, London and all across Europe are trading at this time.
New Zealand Dollar: 22:45 GMT. In New Zealand, this is the most popular hour. Another hour that concentrates data is 21:00 GMT.
Japanese Yen: 23:50 GMT. This is very significant. Almost all the indicators are published at this time. Only a small group of releases are made at different times, with 23:30 being the most frequent. Note that all the times were made during the summer in the northern hemisphere. You should shift one hour down during the winter.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD: US Dollar to remain pressured until uncertainty fog dissipates
Unimpressive European Central Bank left monetary policy unchanged for the fifth consecutive meeting. The United States first-tier employment and inflation data is scheduled for the second week of February. EUR/USD battles to remain afloat above 1.1800, sellers moving to the sidelines.
GBP/USD softens to near 1.3600 as BoE hints further rate cuts
The GBP/USD pair loses ground to near 1.3610 during the early Asian session on Monday. The Pound Sterling softens against the Greenback amid growing expectations of the Bank of England’s interest-rate cut. Traders will take more cues from the Fedspeak later on Monday.
USD/JPY drops back below 157.00 on Japan's verbal intervention
USD/JPY has come under moderate selling pressure below 157.00 in the Asian session on Monday. The Japanese Yen lost ground to near 157.70 following Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party's outright majority win in Sunday’s lower house election, opening the door to more fiscal stimulus by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. However, JPY buyers jumped back and dragged the pair southward on FX verbal intervention by Japan’s Finance Minister Katayama.
Editors’ Picks
USD/JPY drops back below 157.00 on Japan's verbal intervention
USD/JPY has come under moderate selling pressure below 157.00 in the Asian session on Monday. The Japanese Yen lost ground to near 157.70 following Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party's outright majority win in Sunday’s lower house election, opening the door to more fiscal stimulus by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. However, JPY buyers jumped back and dragged the pair southward on FX verbal intervention by Japan’s Finance Minister Katayama.
Gold eyes acceptance above $5,000, kicking off a big week
Gold is consolidating the latest uptick at around the $5,000 mark, with buyers gathering pace for a sustained uptrend as a critical week kicks off. All eyes remain on the delayed Nonfarm Payrolls and Consumer Price Index data from the United States due on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.
AUD/USD: Buyers eyes 0.7050 amid upbeat mood
AUD/USD builds on Friday's goodish rebound from sub-0.6900 levels and kicks off the new week on a positive note, with bulls awaiting a sustained move and acceptance above mid-0.7000s before placing fresh bets. The widening RBA-Fed divergence, along with the upbeat market mood, acts as a tailwind for the risk-sensitive Aussie amid some follow-through US Dollar selling for the second straight day.
Top Crypto Gainers: Aster, Decred, and Kaspa rise as selling pressure wanes
Altcoins such as Aster, Decred, and Kaspa are leading the broader cryptocurrency market recovery over the last 24 hours, as Bitcoin holds above $70,000 on Monday, up from the $60,000 dip on Thursday.
Weekly column: Saturn-Neptune and the end of the Dollar’s 15-year bull cycle
Tariffs are not only inflationary for a nation but also risk undermining the trust and credibility that go hand in hand with the responsibility of being the leading nation in the free world and controlling the world’s reserve currency.
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