I’ve been trying to figure out my trading schedule and I’m wondering about the Asian session. Since I’m in a timezone where I’m awake during Asian hours, I want to make the most of it.
When both London and New York markets are closed, what assets tend to have the best opportunities? I know liquidity is generally lower during this time, but there must be some currencies or instruments that are more active.
I’m thinking maybe JPY pairs since Tokyo is the main financial center during this session? Or should I be looking at AUD and NZD since Australia and New Zealand are also active during these hours?
I’ve heard that some traders avoid the Asian session altogether because of lower volatility, but I’d rather trade when I can actually focus instead of trying to catch London or New York sessions at weird hours for me.
Any insights on which specific pairs or assets work best during Asian hours? Also curious about typical pip ranges during this session compared to the major sessions.
Focus on JPY and AUD pairs during Asian hours.
Been trading Asian sessions for 3 years - works way better with my schedule.
XAU/USD moves well during Asian hours when risk sentiment shifts. Gold reacts to overnight China news or geopolitical events that hit while the West’s asleep.
For currencies, AUD/JPY gives bigger ranges than those USD pairs everyone’s talking about. When Tokyo and Sydney are both active, this cross regularly hits 60-80 pips.
Learned this the hard way - wait for that first hour after Tokyo open to settle before entering. Those initial spikes reverse fast.
Check if your broker widens spreads during Asian hours too. Mine used to bump USD/JPY from 1 pip to 3-4 pips, which killed profits.
Stick to USD/JPY and AUD/USD during Asian hours. Both move well when Tokyo opens at 9 AM JST, though ranges are smaller - USD/JPY typically hits 30-50 pips vs 80-120 in London. AUD pairs react nicely to overnight economic data. Skip EUR pairs - they barely move and spreads are terrible. NZD’s too thin to trade reliably. Watch for news from Japan, Australia, and China to catch any spikes. Trade the immediate reaction, then back off.
GBP/JPY moves well if London’s momentum carries over. Otherwise, stick with JPY pairs.
USD/JPY and AUD/USD are solid picks for Asian hours. Tokyo open and Aussie economic data create decent movement.
Pip ranges are tighter than London or NY sessions, but the moves are way more predictable. I typically see 30-50 pips on these pairs during active Asian trading.
EUR/JPY works too when momentum carries over from the previous session.