What are the best and worst days to trade forex? (2024)

The forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week, so there are opportunities to trade anytime. However, certain days generally have better trading opportunities than others. This article will outline which days have better chances of making profits and which are more difficult.

Days with good chances of earning forex profits

Tuesday to Thursday

Tuesday to Thursday are usually the best days to trade forex for many reasons. The first reason is that market volatility is high, and there are consistently profitable trading opportunities for all types of traders. Consistent volatility gives traders confidence to focus on the market and be ready to execute their trading strategy.

The second reason is that traders are most likely to be focused on trading and motivated from Tuesday to Thursday. Traders increasingly understand the importance of the mental side of trading and its impact on their performance. The great advantage of trading forex is the chance to make large profits quickly; Tuesday to Thursday usually presents many opportunities.

The final reason is that the risk of rapid moves in one direction reduces due to the many active traders from Tuesday to Thursday. However, on Monday and Friday, forex prices can move very quickly in one direction, making it more challenging to manage your risk.

What are the best and worst days to trade forex? (1)

Day after an important economic announcement

The day after a significant economic announcement can present many trading opportunities. If the news release was surprising, the forex price trend could continue the following day. Alternatively, if the market panicked and overreacted, there could be a great trading opportunity to trade against the trend.

Days which can be harder to earn forex profits

Large economic announcements

The forex market can be quiet on trading days before a big economic announcement like a US inflation figure or US monetary policy statement. This is because traders prefer to wait until the announcement before taking positions so forex prices can move sideways, making it challenging to extend profitable trades. However, there can be profitable opportunities for traders who are patient when the forex market moves significantly in one direction, as the market is likely to reverse ahead of the economic announcement.

Following the economic announcement, forex prices can move exceptionally quickly, and only experienced traders are usually successful at consistently earning profits. Therefore, it is usually best for most traders to wait at least 30 minutes after the economic announcement to trade.

Market holidays

US holidays have the most impact on the market and usually result in the Asian and European sessions being quieter than usual. Therefore, avoiding trading the European or US sessions on US holidays is usually best, as fewer profitable trading opportunities exist.

Japanese or Chinese holidays will usually make the European open quieter but have little impact on forex market volatility afterward so that you can trade the European and US sessions as usual.

What are the best and worst days to trade forex? (2)Mondays

Monday is usually the quietest day of the week. Many traders want to take their time analyzing the market, and usually, there are few economic releases on a Monday. However, occasionally news over the weekend can make the Asian open active, producing profitable trading opportunities.

Traders should ensure they are prepared to trade on a Monday and not still thinking about the weekend. One poor trade can lead to further losses making it challenging to recover and end the week with a profit.

Fridays

Fridays usually have high volatility and can be the most volatile day of the week. The difficulty with trading on a Friday is traders can be tired after a long week of trading and make poor decisions. In addition, the forex market can move much more quickly than the rest of the week on a Friday, making it more difficult to execute your trading strategy.

Traders who have made losses that week will likely take large risks to try and end the week with a profit. Conversely, those traders who have made good profits can become too scared of losing and make poor trades. Both traders can get into a negative spiral of chasing losses. Therefore, it is vital to only trade on a Friday when you are calm and can focus on the market rather than worrying about your account balance.

On the first Friday of the month, the US employment figures typically result in a significant move for all forex markets. However, as detailed above, trading on a critical economic release day can be difficult. Therefore, traders should be well prepared for large market moves and understand the impact of the employment figures to make sound trading decisions.

Friday`s can be very profitable for those traders who can adapt their trading strategy to the market. In addition, those traders who understand the market patterns are slightly different on a Friday can earn large profits.

Traders who can adapt their trading strategy to different days of the week are rare. Analyze your past performance on different days of the week, and you will likely find particular days you are profitable. There is no reason to trade every day. It is much better to trade more when you are most successful and rest when you struggle to find profitable trades.

What are the best and worst days to trade forex? (2024)

FAQs

What are the best and worst days to trade forex? ›

All in all, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days for Forex trading due to higher volatility. During the middle of the week, the currency market sees the most trading action. As for the rest of the week, Mondays are static, and Fridays can be unpredictable.

What are the bad days to trade forex? ›

Worst Times to Trade:

Fridays – liquidity dies down during the latter part of the U.S. session. Holidays – everybody is taking a break. Major news events – you don't want to get whipsawed! When you just broke up with your significant other because you chose forex trading over him or her.

What days should you avoid trading forex? ›

The middle of the week typically shows the most movement, as the pip range widens for most of the major currency pairs. Saturdays and Sundays tend to be the least favourable days for trading forex. Most traders tend to avoid trading forex during holidays and around major news events.

When shouldn't I trade forex? ›

Consistent losses: If you are consistently losing money in your forex trades, it may be time to reevaluate your trading strategy. If you are unable to make adjustments that lead to profitable trades, it may be best to take a break from trading.

Why you shouldn t trade forex on friday? ›

Trading on Fridays provides an opportunity for high reward but that also comes with a high risk. There are some reasons why you shouldn't trade on Friday: 1) Large gaps when the market opens 2) Higher spreads 3) Bad market conditions.

When shouldn't you trade? ›

It would help you to preserve your trading capital at those moments when the market is very volatile or non-liquid and increase your capital when a proper time for trading has come. Execution of trades immediately before or after important news is considered to be the worst time for trading.

What days are forex most volatile? ›

The weekday that scores highest in terms of volatility is Thursday, closely followed by Friday. At around 17:00 GMT on Friday, all activity ends and the market goes dormant for the weekend.

What is the 4 week rule in Forex? ›

The weekly rule system is a trend-following trading system. One example of the system is the four-week rule (4WR). Traders will buy when prices reach a new four-week high or sell when prices reach a new four-week low. The weekly rule trading system was established by Richard Donchian.

Why you shouldn t trade Forex on monday? ›

Mondays: On Mondays, the market is often influenced by news and events that occurred over the weekend. This can cause increased volatility and uncertainty, making it difficult to predict market movements.

What is the hardest month to trade Forex? ›

While the summer period (June-August) is speculated to show the least returns for many markets across Europe, August is said to be the worst month to trade. The reason for this is that most institutional investors in Europe and North America go on holiday.

Is $500 enough to trade forex? ›

This forex trading style is ideal for people who dislike looking at their charts frequently and who can only trade in their free time. The very lowest you can open an account with is $500 if you wish to initiate a trade with a risk of 50 pips since you can risk $5 per trade, which is 1% of $500.

Do you need $25,000 to day trade forex? ›

This rule, set by FINRA, states that any trader who executes four or more day trades within a five-day period is considered a pattern day trader (PDT). PDTs must maintain a minimum equity of $25,000 in their margin account at all times.

How to trade forex without losing? ›

  1. Do Your Homework.
  2. Find a Reputable Broker.
  3. Use a Practice Account.
  4. Keep Charts Clean.
  5. Protect Your Trading Account.
  6. Start Small When Going Live.
  7. Use Reasonable Leverage.
  8. Keep Good Records.

What is the best day to buy forex? ›

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best rates to trade Forex because they are the days that see the most action. You want to make your Forex trades at the busiest times. This is going to mean the best return on your investment as well as the most profitable trades.

Is it better to trade forex at night? ›

Night trading on the forex markets has advantages for new traders as volatility tends to be lower and for experienced traders using scalping or automatic trading strategies that tend to work well with less volatility.

Why you shouldn t trade forex on monday? ›

Mondays: On Mondays, the market is often influenced by news and events that occurred over the weekend. This can cause increased volatility and uncertainty, making it difficult to predict market movements.

How many days a week should I trade forex? ›

The forex market is open 5 days a week and closed during the weekend. These international currency markets are vital to facilitating business across the globe and are made up of banks, commercial companies, central banks, investment management firms, and hedge funds, as well as retail forex brokers and investors.

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