It is that time of year again! As the Forex market is centered in London and North America, traders should pay attention to their holiday season of Christmas and New Year. This time can be confusing as December holds some great trading opportunities, but you don’t want to be trading in dead markets or markets with very thin volume that are perfect arenas for stop hunters looking to kill your trades. So let’s go through it day by day, showing the typical hours most brokers close early, and a little advice:
Date
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Typical Early Closing Time (GMT)
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Advice
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Wednesday 23rd December
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None – public holiday in Japan
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Many financial professionals in Europe and North America will already have gone on holiday. It is a public holiday in Japan. The markets are open as usual today, but it is recommended from this point not to initiate any new trades, especially in European currencies, and to reduce exposure on any long-term trades.
|
Thursday 24th December – CHRISTMAS EVE
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18:00 – public holiday in Germany
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Even more professionals will be on holiday from today, especially in Europe. It is a public holiday in Germany. The market is likely to be extremely thin in the morning and to die at lunchtime.
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Friday 25th December – CHRISTMAS DAY
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CLOSED – public holiday throughout Europe and North America
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All financial markets are closed today.
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Monday 28th December – BOXING DAY
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None – public holiday in the U.K., Canada, Australia & New Zealand
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It is a public holiday in a few key markets. Open markets are likely to be very thin.
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Thursday 31st December – NEW YEAR’S EVE
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18:00 – public holiday in Japan, Germany, Australia & New Zealand
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Markets in general are likely to be slow and thin. It is probably a good idea not to enter any new trades today. Take care to avoid Japanese and European instruments in any case.
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Friday 1st January
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CLOSED – global public holiday
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All financial markets are closed today.
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Monday 4th January
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None – public holiday in New Zealand
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Back to normal! Except for New Zealand. This is the first trading day of 2016 and you don’t want to miss it. The first few days of January often see the start of large directional moves.
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So, those are the day-by-day details. Even if you are not in a country that celebrates Christmas, it is probably a good idea to take advantage of it and forget about trading for the entire week and maybe even until 4th January. You probably won’t miss much, and you’ll be refreshed and ready to take advantage of all the opportunities that 2014 will have to offer!
