"I don't have time during the weekdays because of work, so I want to trade on weekends," "Are there any products that are active on weekends?", "Is it okay to hold a position over the weekend?" — These are three common questions about overseas forex trading on weekends.To put it simply, currency pairs cannot be traded on weekends. The only things that are active on weekends are cryptocurrency CFDs, if offered by the broker. And at the start of the week, a "gap" occurs where trading begins at a price far from the closing price of the previous weekend. Our editorial team has compiled data from the past year and found that for USD/JPY, a gap of 10 pips or more occurred in 67% of the 51 weekends.
This article summarizesthe closing times on Saturdays and opening times on Mondays for each broker, the actual trading hours for cryptocurrency CFDs that can be traded on weekends, the size of the gap at the start of the week, decisions to make when holding positions over the weekend, and what can be done on weekends, using official published values from each company and data compiled by our editorial department. Since price movements by time of day on weekdaysthe overseas FX trading hours guide, this article focuses on Saturdays, Sundays, and weekends.
Conclusion | Key Points for Weekend Trading in Overseas Forex (as of September 2026)
- Currency pairs cannot be traded on weekends. All 10 major brokers close trading around 5:50-6:00 JST on Saturday and reopen around 6:00 JST on Monday (for the 9 brokers that publish winter time tables, the schedule shifts back by about an hour). The same applies to domestic FX trading.
- Only cryptocurrency CFDs operate on weekends. However, even brokers that advertise "24/7/365" service actually have server maintenance or downtime on weekends. Some brokers also have limited account types available.
- No rates are displayed on weekends, and charts remain frozen. The weekly currency cycle begins early Monday morning and ends Friday afternoon, and all major brokers close their currency pairs on weekends. The explanation that "currency moves on weekends because the Middle Eastern market is open" is not valid.
- Gap openings at the start of the week occur almost every week. In the USD/JPY pair, gaps of 10 pips or more occurred in 67% of the 51 weekends, and gaps of 50 pips or more occurred in 16% of those weekends (compiled by our editorial team, over the past year). The largest gap was 183.7 pips.
- If you're going to hold the position overnight, reduce the lot size. Stop-loss orders will be executed at an unfavorable price, jumping over the gap. Many brokers have a zero-cut policy, but there is no clause in their terms and conditions that specifically mentions "weekend gaps," and its application is ultimately at the broker's discretion. You will still lose your deposited amount.
*This article was created by the MoneyCharger editorial teamtheir content creation policy. The trading hours for each company are based on the values published on their official websites and official help pages. The gap at the start of the week is based on data compiled by our editorial team from Yahoo Finance's 1-hour charts (the period and method are specified in the text), as of September 8-9, 2026. Overseas FX brokers are not registered with the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA), andthe FSAandthe Consumer Affairs Agencyhave issued warnings about trading with unregistered brokers. This article is for general informational purposes only and does not guarantee profits from any specific product or trading method. Past price movements do not indicate future results.
If you are new to overseas forex trading,our complete guide for overseas forex trading beginners.
Can I trade overseas forex on weekends? | Currency pairs are closed, only cryptocurrencies are active
Currency pairs (such as USD/JPY and EUR/USD) cannot be traded on weekends, whether through overseas or domestic forex brokers.This is not due to the broker's convenience, butbecause global foreign exchange trading operates on a weekly cycle that "starts early Monday morning and ends Friday afternoon," with weekends falling outside of this cycle. Major brokers all close currency pairs on weekends, and no rates will be displayed regardless of which broker you use.
On the other hand,cryptocurrencies (digital assets) have fluctuating prices even on weekends, and overseas forex brokers that offer them as CFDs allow trading on weekends as well. This is an option not available with domestic forex brokers, and it is one of the reasons why people who don't have time during weekdays choose overseas forex. However, as will be explained later, even brokers that advertise "24 hours a day, 365 days a year" have downtime on weekends, so it is necessary to check the actual schedule.
| merchandise | Weekend trading | supplement |
|---|---|---|
| Currency pairs (FX) | I can't | From Monday morning to Saturday morning. Domestic FX is the same |
| Gold and Silver | I can't | There is a break of about an hour once a day in the early morning, even on weekdays |
| Stock indices, crude oil, individual stocks | I can't | Follow the trading hours of the market being referenced |
| Cryptocurrency CFDs | Yes(only for service providers) | Some service providers have maintenance or downtime on weekends. The types of accounts covered may also be limited |
Trading hours for individual instruments such as gold and stock indices are summarized in the overseas forex CFD trading guide , and price movements by time of day on weekdays are summarized in the overseas forex trading hours guide
Trading is possible on Japanese holidays | It depends on whether overseas markets are closed
Japanese holidays are often confused with foreign exchange trading.Even during Golden Week, Obon, or other Japanese holidays, you can trade foreign exchange as usual if overseas markets are open.This is because the main markets for foreign exchange trading are the UK and the US, and they are not linked to the Japanese calendar. In fact, weekdays when people are off work can be an opportunity to trade calmly during the day.
Conversely,even if it's a weekday in Japan, if it's a public holiday overseas, it will have an impact. During public holidays in the US and UK, the number of market participants decreases, price movements become sluggish, and spreads tend to widen. Many markets are closed during Christmas and the New Year (seePublic Holidays and Year-End/New Year Holidays).
By broker | Until what time can trading be done on Saturdays (and what time trading starts on Mondays)
Common problems like "My order didn't go through on Friday night" or "The charts weren't moving on Monday morning" stem from not knowing the start and end times of trading hours down to the minute. We've compiled theweekly start and end times for currency pairs from 10 major brokers, converted from each broker's official values to Japan Standard Time. Note that there will be a one-hour difference between daylight saving time and standard time.
| Contractor | End of Saturday (Summer/Winter) | Monday start (summer/winter) | Time display on the official website |
|---|---|---|---|
 XMTrading | 5:58／6:58 | 6:02／7:02 | Server time (Summer GMT+3, Winter GMT+2). Can be switched to Japan Standard Time using the official tool |
 Exness | 5:59／6:59 | 6:05／7:05 | UTC+0(different from other companies). Officially, it is clearly stated as "Weekend Break". |
 FXGT | 6:00／— | 6:05／— | Server time (in GMT+3 format). Winter time chart is not officially available |
 TitanFX | 5:55／6:55 | 6:01／7:01 | Server time (shows two columns: GMT+3 and GMT+2) |
 HFM | 5:59／6:59 | 6:00／7:00 | Server time (Summer GMT+3, Winter GMT+2) |
 AXIORY | 5:58／6:58 | 6:04／7:04 | Japan time(no conversion required) |
 ThreeTrader | 5:55／6:55 | 6:01／7:01 | Server time (generally GMT+2, GMT+3 during summer) |
 BigBoss | 6:00／7:00 | 6:05／7:05 | Japan time(no conversion required) |
 Axi | 5:58／6:58 | 6:01／7:01 | Server time (GMT+3 during New York Daylight Saving Time) |
 IS6FX | 5:50／6:50 | 6:05／7:05 | Japan Standard Time(no conversion needed). Server time is not officially expressed in GMT. |
*The values published on each company's official website and official help page (confirmed September 8-9, 2026) have been converted to Japan Standard Time. "Summer" refers to the period when each company's servers are using daylight saving time, and "Winter" refers to all other periods.AXIORY,BigBoss, andIS6FXtheir official websites display times in Japan Standard Time, and XM's official tool allows switching to Japan Standard Time.Exnessserver is UTC+0, so if you convert using the same approach as other companies (+6 hours/+7 hours),there will be a 3-hour difference in summer and a 2-hour difference in winter(Exnessis converted using +9 hours).FXGT's winter time table is not available on their official website.AXIORY's summer/winter allocation is our editorial team's determination based on their explanation that "New York closes one hour earlier during daylight saving time."
There are three key points in practical terms
- Closing times vary by up to 10 minutes depending on the broker—the earliest beingIS6FXat 5:50 AM, and the latest beingBigBossandFXGTat 6:00 AM (all during daylight saving time). If you think, "It's still Saturday morning, so it should be fine," your broker might already be closed.
- Some brokers close earlier on Fridays—TitanFX andThreeTraderclose approximately 4 minutes earlier on Fridays than on other days.
- The weekend break lasts approximately 48 hours—it ends around 6 AM on Saturday and resumes around 6 AM on Monday. The charts remain frozen during this time.
- The switch dates for daylight saving time and standard time also differ depending on the broker—XM andHFMthey follow the European standard (last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October),AXIORYandAxifollow the US standard (second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November), resultingin a difference of up to three weeks per year. Please check the information provided by your broker for the switch dates in March and October-November.
Is it true that "currency exchange rates move even on weekends"?
A common explanation seen in weekend analysis is that"Middle Eastern markets are open on Saturdays and Sundays, so the exchange rate moves over the weekend as well. That's why a gap opens on Monday." As far as our editorial team has confirmed, this explanationis not accurate as of September 2026.We will show you three reasons why.
①That's about the stock market, not the foreign exchange market
First of all, as a premise,there is no exchange for foreign currency like there is for stocks.The Bank of Japan also explains the foreign currency marketas "an abstract concept that refers to all transactions conducted within a specific framework, rather than a specific place or building like a fish market or a vegetable market"(Bank of Japan "Tell Me! Nichigin," confirmed September 9, 2026). It is a place where banks and institutional investors buy and sell over the phone,and the fact that a stock exchange is open somewhere is a separate issue from the fact that foreign exchange rates are moving.
② Many of the major markets in the Middle East have now shifted to a Monday-to-Friday schedule
The idea that "Sunday to Thursday are weekdays in the Middle East" is outdated.Checking the official information from various exchanges reveals that the two major markets have already shifted to Monday to Friday.
| exchange | Day of attendance | Official Information |
|---|---|---|
| Tel Aviv Stock Exchange(Israel) | Monday to Friday | The board of directors approved the change in June 2025, the Israel Securities Authority authorized it in July, andfrom January 5, 2026, trading days will change from Sunday to Thursday to Monday to Friday. It will be officially stated that "Friday will be a regular trading day." |
| Dubai financial market(UAE) | Monday to Friday | Official documents state "Monday - Friday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm". In 2022, the UAE changed the public sector weekend from Friday and Saturday to Saturday and Sunday, and the financial markets also shifted to Monday through Friday |
| Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange (Tadawul) | Sunday to Thursday | The official listing states "Trading Days: Sunday to Thursday." This place is still open on Sundays |
*Based on official websites and documents of each exchange (verified September 9, 2026).Changes to the Tel Aviv market were only implemented in January 2026, so explanatory articles written before that date may be based on outdated assumptions.Also, even if the Saudi market is open on Sundays, it is for stock trading and does not mean that exchange rates are updated.
③ The currency trading week "starts on Monday morning and ends on Friday afternoon."
Multiple primary sources confirm that foreign exchange trading does not take place on weekends
- A working paper from the Bank for International Settlementsstates that "currency trading takes place 24 hours a day worldwide,with the weekly cycle beginning early Monday morning in the Asia-Pacific region and ending Friday afternoon in the Americas" (2023, with a note indicating that this is the author's view and not the official view of the Bank for International Settlements).
- Currency benchmark calculation time– The London Stock Exchange Group defines the calculation period for its benchmark exchange rates as "Monday 6:00 (Hong Kong/Singapore time) to Friday 22:00 (UK time)."Benchmark rates are not calculated on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Official statements from brokers—Exnessclearly states in its official help section that "trading of currency pairs is not possible on weekends," and refers to Friday through Sunday as "Weekend Break."
So why are the windows open on Mondays?
If exchange rates don't move over the weekend, why is Monday's opening price different from Friday's closing price? The answer isn't "because prices moved over the weekend," but rather "because the initial price when the market reopens will be at a different level than Friday's closing price.
Even over the weekend, factors such as election results, statements from key figures, and geopolitical eventsoccur. Market participants start trading on Monday at prices that already incorporate these factors, resulting in prices suddenly being set at levels far removed from Friday's closing price.Because the price "jumped" rather than "moved continuously to reach its destination," no one can buy or sell at the price in between.This is why stop-loss orders don't work.
In the next chapter, we will examine the actual size of windows and how frequently they are opened, using a year's worth of data
Products that can be traded on weekends | Actual trading hours for cryptocurrency CFDs
Only cryptocurrency CFDs can be traded on weekends. However,many explanations stop at the point that "cryptocurrencies can be traded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." When you actually check the official information of each company, 7 out of 9 companies that handle cryptocurrency CFDs have times when trading is not possible even on weekends(the remaining company,AXIORY, does not handle cryptocurrency CFDs at all). This is the reason why "orders I tried to place on Saturday evening didn't go through."
| Contractor | Official expression | Weekend downtime (Japan Standard Time / Daylight Saving Time) | Target account types | Points to note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
XMTrading | "Trading is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Trading is also available on public holidays." | Saturday 16:05-16:35 (30 minutes) | Standard, Micro, and KIWAMI accounts are eligible (Zero accounts are not included) | The official tool's timetable shows a 30-minute break on Saturdays |
Exness | "24/7 (including weekends), excluding server maintenance times." | Saturday 13:00-17:00 / Sunday 15:00-18:00 | Differences depending on the currency pair (only BTCUSD and ETHUSD are fully 24 hours) | The terms and conditions clearly state that they are not responsible for losses incurred during maintenance. BTCXAU and others have closed-only hours |
FXGT | Not listed on the official website | not clear | CryptoX account and others | The official trading session schedule does not include a row for cryptocurrencies, and the product page does not list trading hours.Please inquire to confirm whether trading is available on weekends. |
TitanFX | "The week is seven days long, from Monday to Sunday." (The expression "365 days" is not used.) | Sunday 16:00-19:00 (3 hours)+ Daily 6:00-6:10 | Micro accounts are MT5 only | The company officially noted that "weekend trading hours may be subject to sudden changes due to infrastructure maintenance." |
HFM | "24/7 trading" | Sunday 15:00-19:00 (4 hours) | KATANA, Premium, Pro, and others | The same page also includes a note stating that server maintenance takes place on Sundays.BTCXAU (Bitcoin/Gold) is only available on weekdays. |
BigBoss | "Trading is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (excluding maintenance hours)." | Sunday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM (9 hours)+ Saturday and Sunday 6:00 AM - 6:05 AM every day | Standard, MASS Standard, Deluxe (Pro Spread accounts are not eligible) | It is clearly stated that both login and demo trading will be suspended during maintenance . This is the longest maintenance period among the nine companies. |
ThreeTrader | The times for each day of the week are clearly stated in the official FAQ | Sunday 16:00-19:00 (3 hours) | Not specified | On Saturdays, they start at 7:00 AM, later than other companies. They are the only one of the nine companies that doesn't advertise "24 hours a day, 365 days a year," instead only disclosing their operating hours by day of the week |
Axi | "Trading cryptocurrency CFDs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week" | Saturday 6:01-7:00 (1 hour)+ 2 minutes daily | Standard etc | The specifications define the workday as "Monday start, Sunday end," including the weekend |
IS6FX | "Trading is possible even on weekends." "Trading hours: 00:00-24:00." | Not officially stated | Crypto account - MT5 only | The 15-minute suspension period for FX trading is officially stated to be "Forex only" and does not apply to cryptocurrencies |
AXIORY | (Reference) Since cryptocurrency CFDs are not listed as products offered on the official website, there are no products available for trading on weekends |
*Times are converted to Japan Standard Time based on information from each company's official website, official help page, and official specifications (confirmed September 9, 2026). "Daylight Saving Time" refers to the period when each company's servers are using daylight saving time. During winter time, most services are shifted back by one hour, butExness's Sunday maintenance (fixed in UTC) andBigBoss's Sunday maintenance (fixed in Japan Standard Time) remain the same in both summer and winter.Exness's official website cannot be accessed from Japan without logging in, the information is based on the official help page (English, updated March 2026) obtained from the Internet Archive.Downtime may change at the discretion of the broker, so please be sure to check your account information before trading.
Four points that can be gleaned from this table
- Even though it's "24 hours a day, 365 days a year," there are actually times when it stops—we checked the weekend downtime at 7 out of 9 companies that handle cryptocurrency CFDs. The duration varied from 30 minutes to 9 hours, withBigBoss's longest being Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm.
- Brokerages have different schedules for when they take a break:TitanFX andThreeTraderon Sunday evenings, XM on Saturday evenings,Axion Saturday mornings, andHFM,BigBoss, andExnessduring Sunday maintenance hours.If you have specific times you want to trade on weekends, you need to choose a broker that has open trading during those times.
- Some cryptocurrency pairs cannot be traded on weekends—HFM's BTCXAU (Bitcoin/Gold) follows gold trading hours and is therefore only traded on weekdays. It's not the case that "all cryptocurrencies are traded on weekends."
- The eligible account types are limited—IS6FXcrypto accounts (MT5 only),BigBossexcludes Pro Spread accounts, and XM excludes Zero accounts.There are cases where people realize they can't trade with their account after creating it.
A comparison of cryptocurrency CFD brokers, including the number of instruments, leverage, and spreads, is summarized in our comparison of cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) trading with overseas forex brokers . Please note that spreads tend to widen on weekends when there are fewer participants than on weekdays
[Compiled over one year] How often do gaps occur at the start of the week?
The biggest risk when carrying positions over the weekenda "gap." If something happens in the world over the weekend, trading on Monday will suddenly start at a price far removed from Friday's closing price.It is sometimes explained that "gaps rarely occur," but in reality, they occur almost every week.Our editorial team calculated the difference between Friday's closing price and Monday's opening price using 1-hour charts for the past year (51 weekends).
Gap size by currency pair
Here are the results for the five major currency pairs.For USD/JPY, gaps of 10 pips or more occurred in 67% of the 51 weekends (2 out of 3 weeks), and gaps of 50 pips or more occurred in 16% (1 out of 6 weeks).The average was 25.0 pips, but the median was 16.8 pips, with the occasional large gaps pushing up the average.
| currency pair | average | median | maximum | 10 pips or more | 30 pips or more | 50 pips or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD/JPY | 25.0 pips | 16.8 pips | 183.7 pips (October 6, 2025) | 67% | 24% | 16% |
| GBP/JPY | 22.7 pips | 16.4 pips | 186.0 pips (October 6, 2025) | 69% | 25% | 6% |
| Euro/Yen | 17.8 pips | 9.9 pips | 181.9 pips (October 6, 2025) | 49% | 6% | 6% |
| Australian dollar against Japanese yen | 17.8 pips | 9.4 pips | 100.4 pips (October 6, 2025) | 49% | 14% | 8% |
| Euro/Dollar | 15.2 pips | 9.6 pips | 95.1 pips (March 9, 2026) | 47% | 14% | 8% |
*Compiled by our editorial team. For the 1-hour chart from September 8, 2025 to September 8, 2026, the calculation was "opening price of the first candle on Monday - closing price of the last candle (early Friday or Saturday morning)" and the absolute value was aggregated (covering 51 weekends). Pips are converted to 0.01 for USD/JPY and cross-yen pairs, and 0.0001 for EUR/USD. The rates are index rates provided by Yahoo Finance anddo not match the rates provided by individual companies or the actual prices at which trades are executed including spreads. Please use this as a guide to understand the trends.
What we can learn from these numbers
- Gaps are not an exception but the norm—67% of the time in the USD/JPY pair, gaps of 10 pips or more occurred, while only 8 out of 51 weekends (16%) were less than 5 pips. The premise is that "gaps usually occur."
- Occasionally, the movements are extremely large—over 50 pips for 8 weeks, with a maximum of 183.7 pips. That's more than 7 times the average. The risk of holding a position overnight should be considered not in terms of "how much it moves on average," but in terms of "how much it could move in the worst-case scenario."
- On weekends when the yen moves, all yen pairs open simultaneously—on the Monday of October 6, 2025, four currency pairs—USD/JPY, GBP/JPY, EUR/JPY, and AUD/JPY—all created the largest gaps of the year. Holding multiple yen pairs means that risk is not diversified but is affected simultaneously.
- The size of a gap is equivalent to "one hour's worth of price movement" —according to another calculation by our editorial department, the average hourly price range for USD/JPY was 12.5 to 28.4 pips. In other words, a gap occurs when several tens of minutes to an hour's worth of price movement happens all at once, without the ability to place orders ( calculation of price movement by time of day ).
It should be noted that this analysisthe size and frequency; it does not identify what triggered each window to open.
[Verification] Is it true that "windows will be filled"?
In explanations of gap openings, it's almost always stated"the gap will eventually be filled (the price will return to its original level)." However, within the scope of our editorial team's research, we couldn't find any articles that provided numerical evidence to support this common belief. Therefore,we also compiled data on whether the gap was actually filled."Filled" is defined as the price reaching the level of Friday's closing price after Monday's opening price.
| currency pair | Number of windows | Filled within 5 business days | Buried within 24 hours | Median time to fill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD/JPY | 47th | 81% | 62% | 8 hours |
| GBP/JPY | 47th | 85% | 68% | 5 hours |
| Euro/Dollar | 34th | 85% | 76% | 7 hours |
*Weeks with less than 3 pips are excluded as "no gap". The period and data source are the same as in the above summary
As a result,the common belief that "about 80% of the windows will be filled" has been largely accurate based on data from the past year. However, it is dangerous to take this at face value. There are three reasons for this.
Three reasons why you shouldn't think, "It'll be filled, so it'll be fine."
- One in five trades doesn't fill up—19% of the USD/JPY pairs didn't return to Friday's closing price even after five trading days. It's not guaranteed to fill up.
- The larger the gap, the harder it is to fill—looking only at gaps of 20 pips or more, the USD/JPY pair falls 75% of the time within 5 trading days and 50% of the time within 24 hours. This means that the larger the losses, the less likely the price is to recover.
- It takes time for the positions to fill up—medianly 5 to 8 hours.If the margin maintenance ratio touches the stop-loss level during that time, the positions will be forcibly liquidated, and the price will recover. Whether the positions will eventually fill up and whether your position will survive are two different issues.
This calculation is based on Yahoo Finance rates and does not reproduce the spreads or stop-loss triggers of individual brokers. Also, "filled" is determined by whether the price reached the target, not on the closing price. Please note that there is no guarantee that the same ratio will be maintained in the future
Decisions on whether to carry a position over the weekend
Considering the gap-opening data, including situations where you forget to close a position and carry it over to the weekend, the question ofwhether or not to carry it over to the weekend isn't the only thing to consider. There are three points to consider: "By what time on Friday should you open the position?", "What lot size should you use?", and "Can you withstand the risk of your stop-loss not working?". Let's break them down in order.
Some brokers lower the leverage on new orders before the weekend
What's surprisingly little known isthat some brokers raise the required margin and restrict the leverage of new orders as the weekend approaches. This is the reason why you might be told you don't have enough margin when you try to open a position on Friday night. Here's a summary of what each company officially states.
| Contractor | When the restrictions begin | Target audience and content |
|---|---|---|
| Exness | From approximately 3 hours before closing on the weekend until 1 hour after opening on the following weekday | The required margin has been increased. The official table states that this applies to "all products except Bitcoin and Ethereum," but a note in the same table says that "cryptocurrencies are not affected by weekend closing," so the treatment of cryptocurrencies cannot be determined solely from the official statement |
| Axi | Precious metals, stock indices, and crude oil are available approximately 3 hours in advance / Currency pairs are available 1 hour in advance(Currency pairs are available until 0:30 AM on Monday). | Currency pairs are limited to 200x leverage, precious metals to 100-50x leverage, and crude oil to 50-20x leverage. The applicable hours and leverage are subject to change without notice. |
| TitanFX | From approximately 120 minutes before closing on Friday until approximately 15 minutes after opening on Monday | New positions in instruments other than currency pairs (precious metals, crude oil, stock indices) will be limited to 100x leverage |
| ThreeTrader | From 30 minutes before closing on weekends and public holidays | Stock indices are limited to 100x leverage, gold to 100x leverage, and crude oil to 20x leverage. There are no changes to FX and cryptocurrencies |
| FXGT | Friday 22:00 - Monday 02:00 (server time) | New positions in precious metals can be leveraged up to 100 times |
| XM・HFM・BigBoss・IS6FX・AXIORY | I couldn't find any information on the official website regarding leverage restrictions limited to weekends (this doesn't prove that such a policy doesn't exist) | |
*Information is based on the official websites and help sections of each company (confirmed September 9, 2026). However,Exness's information is based on the official help section (English, updated June 2025) obtained from the Internet Archive, andFXGT's information is based on the official leverage page obtained as of September 7, 2026.The timing of the restriction start varies greatly depending on the broker, ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours before, and even within the same broker, it varies depending on the product.If you plan to open a new position on Friday night, please check the operating procedures of the broker you will be using beforehand.
Stop-loss orders jump over the gap
This is where most people misunderstand weekend trading.Even if you have a stop-loss order (limit order), it won't be executed at that price if there's a gap in the market.If the price "jumps over" the set price without reaching it, the order will be executed at the price beyond the gap. This means that if there's a 50-pip gap in the USD/JPY pair, your stop-loss might also be executed 50 pips ahead.
This risk is also clearly shown in official documents.A document submitted by the Financial Futures Association to the Financial Services Agency's expert panel (March 2018) lists "market closures" as one of the causes of "accounts receivable" where a customer's balance becomes negative, and provides the following numerical example using a weekend closure as an example: A customerbuys one contract of USD/JPY with an account balance of approximately $312.50, and before the closure the rate was approximately $0.69. The original stop-loss level was approximately $0.68.40, so normally the loss should have ended at approximately $37.50. However, because the rate reopened at approximately $0.65 after the closure, the stop-loss was executed there, andthe balance became negative approximately $62.50—this is the explanation (Financial Services Agency public document, confirmed September 9, 2026). This document is based on domestic FX, but the mechanism by which gaps in the market create "losses that cannot be prevented even with stop-loss orders" is the same in overseas FX as well.
This is a major difference from domestic FX brokers. Many overseas FX brokers employ a zero-cut system (exemption from negative balances), so even if your account balance goes negative due to a gap in trading, losses are limited to your deposit amount if you are trading within the terms and conditions . Domestic brokers will charge you for the deficit. However, you will still lose your deposit amount, and zero-cut is a "mechanism that sets an upper limit on losses," not a "mechanism that prevents losses ." The application conditions for zero-cut in overseas FX and the concept of forced liquidation are explained in the section on the stop-loss mechanism in overseas FX
There's one more point we'd like to clarify.Based on our editorial team's review of the zero-cut policies of eight major companies, none of them explicitly mention "gap openings," "gaps," or "weekends" as covered.Most use general phrases such as "when the balance becomes negative due to a sudden market fluctuation" or "when it occurs due to a stop-out." While gap openings could be interpreted as being included in this, it's not explicitly stated in the policy. Zero-cut is a system offered voluntarily by each company, and its application ultimately depends on the company's judgment. Furthermore, since zero-cut is a system where the company bears the negative balance, italso depends on the company's financial strength. During the 2015 Swiss franc shock, some major companies went bankrupt because they couldn't absorb their customers' losses.
Swaps are credited in a lump sum for 3 days on Wednesday or Friday
If the trade spans the weekend, swap points (interest rate adjustments) for Saturday and Sunday will also be incurred. However, since there is no trading on Saturdays and Sundays,most brokers will reflect all three days' worth of swap points on Wednesday, and for some securities, on Friday. For securities with negative swaps, the cost will be tripled only on this day. The time of application is around 6:00 AM (daylight saving time) or 7:00 AM (standard time) Japan time.
In other words,"the trade spans the weekend," meaning that costs are incurred even though the trade doesn't move on Saturday and Sunday. If you intend to hold the trade for several days or more, check the sign and level of the swap beforehand (compare swap points for overseas forex brokers).
Checklist for deciding whether to carry over or not
- Is the lot size sufficient to withstand a 50-pip gap in the opposite direction?—In the USD/JPY pair, gaps of 50 pips or more occur approximately once every six weeks. We will determine the lot size based on this level, not the average.
- Do you hold multiple yen pairs?— On weekends when the yen is active, the dollar-yen, pound-yen, and euro-yen all open with gaps in the same direction simultaneously. This is a situation where "diversification" doesn't work.
- Is there enough margin maintenance?— Gaps can bypass stop-loss orders. If the maintenance ratio is low, positions may be forcibly liquidated at the first price setting of the week.
- Can you explain why you're holding onto the position? Holding onto a position simply because you "don't want to cut your losses" isn't a decision, it's just postponing it. The decision should be based on whether it aligns with your swing plan.
- If you're opening a new position on a Friday night, you might be subject to leverage restrictions—as shown in the table above, some brokers increase the required margin 30 minutes to 3 hours before closing time.
There is no single "right" answer when it comes to holding positions over the weekend.to decide in advance, according to your trading method: close your positions on Friday if you're day trading, or take a lot size that incorporates. The worst thing you can do is to hesitate on the spot every week.
Things to do on the weekend: testing, practice, and preparing for the next week
Some people search for websites where they can view currency charts on weekends, but as explained later, the rates themselves are not updated on weekends, so they only display the continuation of the weekday rates. Weekends, when currency pairs cannot be traded,not as "time not to trade," but as "time to prepare for trading." For people who don't have time during the week due to work, deciding what to do on the weekends will make a difference. Let's organize what you can do on weekends other than trading.
Practice with a demo account or strategy tester
If you want to practice on weekends, there are two options. First, there's the demo account . However, since demo accounts run on the same trading server as real accounts, the currency pair rates don't move on weekends, making it practically impossible to practice placing orders . Moreover,BigBossexplicitly states in its official FAQ that "trading on both real and demo accounts will be suspended every Sunday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Japan time during maintenance," meaning there are officially designated periods when even demo accounts are down . While demo accounts from brokers offering cryptocurrency CFDs can be used to practice on instruments that are active on weekends, please check the table of downtimes in the previous chapter to see if the time you want to practice falls within a downtime period
Another tool is the MT4/MT5 Strategy Tester . MetaQuotes officially states that "all operations of the trading strategy tester are performed using market history," and since it does not require live rate feeds, you can perform tests even on weekends when the market is closed . However, for instruments used for the first time, you will need to download historical data from the trading server , so it is best to run it once during the week to import the history. It can be used not only to test automated trading systems (EAs) but also to verify whether the rules of a trading method worked in past market conditions. Instructions on how to use it are explained in the MT4/MT5 EA setup guide
If you want to practice by "moving" the charts, you can either pause and advance the MT4/MT5 Strategy Tester, or use the replay function available in charting tools such as TradingView. In either case, youare simply replaying past data, so you can use it regardless of the day of the week, including weekends.
Review of the week's trades
Weekends, when the market is closed, are the best time to review your records.isn't to look at wins and losses, but to confirm whether your entry rationale followed pre-determined rules. Just writing down the following three points will help you see your own tendencies.
- Was it done according to the rules? Even if the result is good, if it's outside the rules, it's "just luck." Even if the result is bad, if it's done according to the rules, it can be separated as a problem with the methodology.
- Was the lot size appropriate?Was the loss per trade within expectations? On days when losses were higher than expected, we'll investigate the reasons.
- The time of day you traded —were you forcing trades during times when price fluctuations were small? A guide to price movements by time of day is summarized in the overseas forex trading time guide.
Checking materials for the start of the week
Securing your schedule for the following week in advance will prevent you from rushing at the start of the week. Checking just two things is sufficient: the economic indicators calendar and any events scheduled for the weekend
- Key economic indicators for the following weekinclude US employment statistics, consumer price index, FOMC meeting, and Bank of Japan monetary policy meeting. MT5 has a built-in economic calendar.
- Events scheduled for the weekend—elections, referendums, summits, speeches by central bank officials, etc.—can be anticipated as potential gaps in trading for those whose dates are known in advance.
- Notice from the service provider: Changes to trading hours and scheduled maintenance during public holidays will be announced in advance on the official website and via email. This is especially important to check before the New Year holidays and major national holidays.
However,there's no need to try to predict Monday's direction based on weekend news. You can't pick up on unplanned events in advance, and the more you try to predict them, the closer you get to trading based on gaps. The goal here is to "know what could happen," not to make accurate predictions.
Public holidays and year-end/New Year's holiday closures | Days when trading is unavailable and days when trading is shortened
Besides weekends, there are other days when trading is unavailable or when trading hours are shortened.The basic rule is that "it's not determined by Japanese holidays, but by whether overseas markets are closed or not.
| season | transaction | Points to note |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese public holidays(Golden Week, Obon, etc.) | It is possible as usual | With fewer Japanese participants, price movements during Tokyo hours will be slower. This also presents an opportunity to trade during the day |
| US and UK public holidays | It's possible, but the number of participants will decrease | Price movements are sluggish and spreads tend to widen. Price movements are thinner at night when the US is closed |
| December 25th (Christmas) | Many stocks are closed | Trading hours will also be shortened on the days before and after |
| January 1st (New Year's Day) | Many stocks are closed | Liquidity decreases from late December to early January during the year-end and New Year period |
| Good Friday Easter | Some stocks are closed to the public | The date changes from year to year. European and American markets are closed |
The dates and times for shortened trading hours and closures vary by broker and instrument, and each company announces these changes on their official websites and via email every year in November or December.For example,BigBosspublished a notice titled "Notice of Changes to Trading and Support Hours for Christmas and New Year's Holidays," detailing the changes for each instrument in Japan Standard Time. According to their notice, all instruments (excluding cryptocurrency CFDs) will be closed on December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026.
There are three common points to keep in mind during this period
- Liquidity decreases and spreads widen—as market participants in Europe and the US go on holiday, prices become more volatile with fewer orders.
- The gap tends to be larger when it spans a long holiday weekend—the longer the market is closed, the higher the possibility of news or information being released during that time.
- Support hours may also change—some brokers shorten their Japanese support hours during the year-end and New Year holidays. It's safer to complete withdrawal and account procedures as early as possible.
If you hold positions through the year-end and New Year holidays,be sure to check the holiday dates and reopening times for the stocks you are using in the notice sent to your account.Leaving them unattended, assuming "business as usual," is the most dangerous approach.
Frequently Asked Questions about Weekends in Overseas Forex Trading
Can I trade with overseas forex brokers on weekends?
Currency pairs (such as USD/JPY and EUR/USD) cannot be traded on weekends. This is because the weekly currency cycle begins early Monday morning and ends Friday afternoon, and this is the same for both overseas and domestic forex brokers.The only cryptocurrency CFDs that can be traded on weekends are those offered by the broker. Gold, stock indices, and crude oil cannot be traded on weekends either. Currency pairs from the top 10 brokers close around 5:50-6:00 AM Japan time on Saturday and reopen around 6:00 AM on Monday (this is shifted back by about an hour during winter time).
Can I trade on FXGTon weekends?
At FXGT, currency pairs cannot be traded on weekends. The official trading session schedule lists all categories (FX, Metals, Energy, Stock Indices, Stocks) as "closed" on weekends. HoweverFXGTwas the only one of the nine companies (those handling cryptocurrency CFDs) investigated by our editorial team that did not list cryptocurrency CFD trading hours on its official website. , Since there is no entry for cryptocurrency in the official trading session schedule and no trading hours are listed on the product page, it is not possible to confirm from official information whether trading is possible on weekends. We recommend contacting support to confirm before actually trading. The situation of other companies is summarized under products that can be traded on weekends
Until what time can I trade on Saturday?
There can be a difference of up to 10 minutes depending on the broker. During daylight saving time, the earliest brokers close at 5:50 AM Japan time (IS6FX), while the latest brokers close at exactly 6:00 AM Japan time (BigBossandFXGT). During standard time, the closing time shifts back by about an hour, butFXGTdoes not publish a standard time table on its official website. TitanFX andThreeTraderclose about 4 minutes earlier on Fridays than on other days. For a list of brokers, please refer to the closing times on Saturdays and the start times on Mondays
Do exchange rates fluctuate on weekends?
No tradable rates are displayed. Weekend charts remain at Friday's closing price. You may see explanations that "currency moves on weekends because the Middle Eastern market is open," butit is the stock market that is open on Sundays in the Middle East, not the interbank currency market. Thereason prices jump at the start of the week is not because prices moved over the weekend, butbecause the initial price setting when the market reopens is at a different level than Friday's closing price.
Is it okay to hold onto my position over the weekend?
While it is possible to hold positionsovernight, you need to adjust your lot size to account for the risk of gaps. Our editorial team's calculations show that the USD/JPY pair experienced gaps of 10 pips or more in 67% of the 51 weekends, and gaps of 50 pips or more in 16% of those weekends.Stop-loss orders will be executed at unfavorable prices, skipping over the gap.For normal trading within the terms and conditions, losses are limited to the deposit amount through zero-cut, but the possibility of losing the deposit amount remains.A checklist of guidelines for holding positions overnightis provided to help you make your decision.
Will all the windows be occupied?
It's not always the case. Our editorial team's analysis over the past year shows that81% of USD/JPY trades were closed within 5 trading days, while 19% were not. Furthermore, if we focus on larger gaps of 20 pips or more, that figure drops to 75%. The median time for a trade to be closed is 8 hours, andif the margin maintenance ratio touches the stop-loss level during that time, the position will be forcibly closed, and the price will recover. It is dangerous to assume that "it will be closed, so I'll just wait."
Can I practice FX trading on weekends?
Since demo accounts also provide the same rates as real accounts,currency pair rates do not move on weekends, making it impossible to practice placing orders. If you want to practice on weekends, you can use the MT4/MT5strategy testerto replay historical data, allowing you to test strategies regardless of the day of the week. If the broker offers cryptocurrency CFDs, you can practice with instruments that move on weekends even in a demo account.
Can I trade even on Japanese public holidays?
Yes, you can. Even during Golden Week, Obon, and other Japanese holidays, you can trade as usual if overseas markets are open. This is because the main markets for foreign exchange trading are the UK and the US, and their calendars are not linked to the Japanese calendar.Conversely, even if it's a weekday in Japan, if the US or UK is on holiday, the number of participants will decrease, price movements will slow down, and spreads will tend to widen.Many instruments are closed on Christmas and New Year's Day.
Summary | Weekends are not "trading days," but "preparation days."
On weekends in overseas forex trading, while currency pair trading is unavailable, you have the option of trading cryptocurrency CFDs and time to prepare for the start of the week.Most importantly, understand that carrying positions over the weekend means "holding a position in a state where stop-loss orders may not function." Gaps occur almost every week, and occasionally exceed 100 pips.
Key points of this article
- Currency pairs, gold, and stock indices cannot be traded on weekends. All 10 major companies close their trading hours around 5:50-6:00 AM on Saturday (one hour later during winter time) and reopen around 6:00 AM on Monday
- Only cryptocurrency CFDs can be traded on weekends. However, even brokers that advertise "24/7/365" trading may have maintenance or downtime on weekends, and the available account types may be limited
- Exchange rates do not move over the weekend. The reason prices jump at the start of the week is that the initial price set when trading resumes is different from Friday's closing price
- For USD/JPY, 67% of the 51 weekends saw gaps of 10 pips or more, and 16% saw gaps of 50 pips or more. The largest gap was 183.7 pips. When the yen is active on weekends, yen pairs open simultaneously
- The prediction that "the gap will be filled" is correct about 80% of the time, but it doesn't fill about one in five times, and larger gaps are less likely to be filled. The median time until the gap is filled is 8 hours, and if a stop-loss is triggered before then, it's meaningless
- Some brokers reduce the leverage on new orders 30 minutes to 3 hours before closing time on weekends. If you're planning to build on Friday night, check beforehand
The next step is to understand the price movements at different times of the week and decide when you can trade (Overseas Forex Trading Hours Guide). If you want to trade on weekends as well, choose a broker based on the conditions for cryptocurrency CFDs (Comparison of Overseas Forex Cryptocurrency Trading). If you open an account through MoneyChat, you will receive cashback based on your trading volume (eligible instruments and cashback amounts vary by broker).
For those who want to trade on weekends, open an account with an overseas forex broker via MoneyChat, where you can earn cashback
