Best Hours to Trade EUR/USD
https://fxabsolute.com/stats/EURUSD.json.
The five busiest hours
| Rank | Hour (UTC) | Session | Avg range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14:00–15:00 UTC | London/New York overlap | 24.5 |
| 2 | 13:00–14:00 UTC | London/New York overlap | 24.2 |
| 3 | 12:00–13:00 UTC | London/New York overlap | 22.1 |
| 4 | 15:00–16:00 UTC | London/New York overlap | 21.6 |
| 5 | 07:00–08:00 UTC | London | 19.3 |
All five sit inside or adjacent to the London and New York sessions. That is not a coincidence and it is not a secret — but the size of the gap is worth seeing rather than assuming: the overlap averages 23.1 pips an hour against 10.3 through the Asian hours.
The five quietest
| Rank | Hour (UTC) | Session | Avg range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 21:00–22:00 UTC | Late New York / Asian open | 6.9 |
| 23 | 22:00–23:00 UTC | Late New York / Asian open | 7.5 |
| 22 | 04:00–05:00 UTC | Asian | 7.6 |
| 21 | 23:00–00:00 UTC | Late New York / Asian open | 7.9 |
| 20 | 03:00–04:00 UTC | Asian | 8.2 |
A breakout strategy tested only in these hours will look broken, and a mean-reversion strategy tested only here will look brilliant. Neither result transfers.
Every hour, in order
| Hour (UTC) | Session | Avg range | Median | Closed up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00–01:00 UTC | Asian | 11.7 | 9.6 | 49.7% |
| 01:00–02:00 UTC | Asian | 11.7 | 9.9 | 49.6% |
| 02:00–03:00 UTC | Asian | 9.7 | 8.4 | 50.4% |
| 03:00–04:00 UTC | Asian | 8.2 | 6.8 | 47.1% |
| 04:00–05:00 UTC | Asian | 7.6 | 6.5 | 46.9% |
| 05:00–06:00 UTC | Asian | 9.4 | 8.1 | 50.6% |
| 06:00–07:00 UTC | Asian | 13.9 | 11.9 | 49.9% |
| 07:00–08:00 UTC | London | 19.3 | 16.2 | 50.6% |
| 08:00–09:00 UTC | London | 19 | 16.7 | 51.9% |
| 09:00–10:00 UTC | London | 16.7 | 14.5 | 48.7% |
| 10:00–11:00 UTC | London | 15 | 12.9 | 48.2% |
| 11:00–12:00 UTC | London | 15.8 | 13.8 | 45.1% |
| 12:00–13:00 UTC | London/New York overlap | 22.1 | 17.4 | 48.2% |
| 13:00–14:00 UTC | London/New York overlap | 24.2 | 20.4 | 51.3% |
| 14:00–15:00 UTC | London/New York overlap | 24.5 | 21.4 | 50.1% |
| 15:00–16:00 UTC | London/New York overlap | 21.6 | 18.7 | 47.4% |
| 16:00–17:00 UTC | New York | 16.1 | 14 | 47.8% |
| 17:00–18:00 UTC | New York | 13.6 | 12 | 49% |
| 18:00–19:00 UTC | New York | 13.7 | 10.5 | 50.1% |
| 19:00–20:00 UTC | New York | 11.4 | 8.9 | 50.4% |
| 20:00–21:00 UTC | New York | 8.8 | 7.2 | 40.9% |
| 21:00–22:00 UTC | Late New York / Asian open | 6.9 | 5.9 | 56.8% |
| 22:00–23:00 UTC | Late New York / Asian open | 7.5 | 5.9 | 60.8% |
| 23:00–00:00 UTC | Late New York / Asian open | 7.9 | 6.1 | 51.6% |
What this does and does not tell you
Range is opportunity and risk in the same number. A wider hour means a target is reachable and a stop is reachable, and the ratio between them does not improve just because the hour is busy. What the table settles is narrower and more useful: whether a strategy was tested in the hours it will actually be traded in.
All times are UTC. London and New York shift with daylight saving and these candles do not, so a session named without a clock is an hour wrong for half the year.
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Questions
What is the best hour to trade EURUSD?
By range, 14:00–15:00 UTC — averaging 24.5 pips. Whether that is "best" depends on the strategy: it is the hour with the most movement, which suits breakouts and punishes tight stops.
What time is EURUSD quietest?
21:00–22:00 UTC, averaging 6.9 pips — roughly 3.6 times less than the busiest hour.
Is the London/New York overlap really more volatile for EURUSD?
Yes, measurably. The 12:00–16:00 UTC window averages 23.1 pips per hour against 10.3 through 00:00–07:00.
Are these times in UTC or local time?
UTC, throughout. The candle timestamps are UTC and do not shift with daylight saving, so quoting a session without the clock would be an hour wrong for half the year.