Cryptocurrency Trading Hours | Are Crypto Markets Always Open | IFCM (2024)

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You may be asking yourself what are cryptocurrency market hours.

The answer is simple. Cryptocurrency markets open at 12:00 pm and run through to 12:00pm, so you can open and close positions 24 hours a day, every day including weekends. One of the advantages of Crypto Market is as you can see its market hours, you can find more in our What is crypto Market article.

Cryptocurrency is a volatile asset class that goes through many ups and downs. Because of this, people often get the idea that they should try to time their investments—buy at a specific time to get the best possible price. But since investors all over the world trade cryptocurrencies 24 hours a day, there is never a time limit to buy cryptocurrencies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Cryptocurrency markets are a wild ride with no beginning or end
• Data shows that the markets are busiest around 18:00 CET
• Cryptocurrency markets open at 12:00 pm and run through to 12:00pm, so you can open and close positions 24 hours a day, every day including weekends.
• The lack of regulated market hours means that traders can miss big market moves.

Cryptocurrency Market Hours

At IFC Markets you can trade cryptos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Learn more about cryptocurrency trading with us and get started.

Here below you can see cryptocurrency market hours for each cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency Trading Hours Table

Are Crypto Markets Always Open

As we mentioned earlier, crypto markets are always open (24/7), same goes to cryptocurrency CFDs. But time zones still matter, you should use a market time converter to see when markets wake up and become active (more volatile). This question is important because of the type of asset being traded.

No matter where you are on the planet on a weekday, chances are there is trading going on somewhere and yet some hours of the day are busier than others for reasons that will become apparent a bit further into the article.

Most Active Crypto Trading Times

It has been suggested that the best time to trade cryptocurrencies is from 8am to 4pm. This is the time when the most volatility occurs, particularly in American markets, so there is the most potential to make money at this point.

There are times and days when crypto traders are usually more favorable to making trades. The best times and days to trade cryptocurrencies tend to be “when it suits you”, but studies show that professional traders tend to be more active on weekdays.

Monday tends to have the biggest returns when trading, followed by Friday and Saturday. Data shows that the markets are busiest around 18:00 CET. But past performance and trends are no guarantee of future outcomes. so there is no promise that trading during these days or times will translate to bigger returns.

Note: It’s also worth keeping in mind that these trends are likely to change with time.

Let's start with weekends, never trust them

Though crypto can be traded on weekends, still most of the trades prefer to rest those days, so obviously markets are less active on weekends, and most traders seek volatility.

So for crypto the idea was that any weekend activity was ‘wrong’ and worth fading. And if bitcoin rises on a weekend, the expectation is that the market would move down over the week.

Anyway let’s summarize crypto trading on weekends, keep in mind that crypto values often drop on weekends

What happens on weekends - less trading volume - Many people take days off (on weekends), including from cryptocurrency trading. Consequently, the volume of transactions falls. With less volume, trades made (especially large ones) can have a huge impact on the markets - more than during periods of high trading volume.

Margin trading is when traders trade crypto “on margin,” meaning that they borrow money to execute trades. And with the banks closed on weekends traders due to lack of funds will struggle finding money, which will further drop crypto values.

One more thing, with banks closed on weekends but the crypto markets firing away at all hours, traders may have trouble getting more money into their crypto exchange accounts. This can limit market liquidity, potentially adding yet another systemic and chaotic element to weekend crypto trading.

Bottom Line on Cryptocurrency Trading Hours

Cryptocurrency markets operate without interruption. Yet it does not necessarily mean that there are no specific days or times when it is best to trade, since the number of traders and the overall level of liquidity in the markets may vary. But access to crypto markets is always open.

There are some pros and cons of crypto markets being open 24/7 worth considering:

Benefits

• Greater convenience for traders
• Higher potential returns due to larger market and liquidity
• Access to markets anytime, anywhere

Disadvantages

• Some exchanges and platforms may restrict market access at certain times.
• Higher risks and volatility on certain days and times.
• The lack of regulated market hours means that traders can miss big market moves.

Anyway, you should do your own research, remember prices can go down as well as up and never invest more money than you can afford to lose.

Cryptocurrency markets are a wild ride with no beginning or end. And because they are so volatile, it is best to be approached in a balanced way. But at the same time, you will not be limited by the hours of operation of the cryptocurrency market, as when trading stocks or bonds, because cryptocurrency trading can take place 24/7, every day of the year.