Cryptocurrency Trading Sessions: The Best Time to Trade
Cryptocurrencies are traded 24/7, without breaks or weekends. There are no formal "sessions" like on Forex or the stock market.
However, differences in market sentiment are still noticeable depending on the session during which cryptocurrency trading occurs. It's advisable to take these characteristics into account when trading.
Understanding these daily waves makes it easier to choose the right moment to enter, save on spreads, and avoid getting caught in a thin market.
Why is this happening? Most capital is concentrated among traders and funds in several time zones.
Asia opens early in the morning, Europe and London in the afternoon, and the US and Canada in the afternoon and late evening. It's these inclusions and overlaps that create the "windows" during which trades are executed faster and technical analysis signals appear clearer.
| Session | Time (Kyiv) | Volatility | Liquidity | Convenience of trading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 03:00–09:00 | Average | Average | Average |
| Europe/London | 10:00–14:00 | Average | High | High |
| Europe–USA overlap | 15:00–19:00 | High | High | High |
| USA/New York | 15:00–23:00 | High | High | High |
| Late evening/night | 23:00–03:00 | Low | Low | Low |
| Weekend | 24 hours (Sat–Sun) | High | Low | Low |
Asia: Early Impulses and Subtle Trends
Night hours in Kyiv UTC/GMT+3 (approximately from 03:00 to 09:00) are the most active time in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
During this time, the trend moves relatively calmly, especially for BTC and ETH, with Asian news rarely shaking up the market. Due to its predictability, many traders choose this time period for cryptocurrency scalping .
Europe/London: Choose your destination of the day
Late morning and early afternoon Kyiv time (approximately 10:00–14:00), European volumes enter the market. At this time, the market tends to "determine" the daily direction: support/resistance levels are tested more carefully, retests occur more frequently, and spreads narrow.
For day trading, this is a convenient window: entries along the trend or from a level are made closer to the declared price, with less slippage .
US/New York: Liquidity Peak and Clean Breakouts
From 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM Kyiv time, the US comes into play—and this is usually the busiest period of the day. Macroeconomic data is released, major companies report, stock indices fluctuate—and all of this impacts risk appetite, and therefore crypto.
The first hours of the American session are when impulses most often occur, followed by continuations or clear reversal patterns based on volume. If you prefer to trade breakouts and retests, this is where you can catch "clean" signals without unnecessary noise.
Europe-US overlap: highest volatility
The boundaries are approximate, but the logic is simple: where there's more overlap between participants, the order book is denser. The European and US overlap occurs approximately between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM Kyiv time. At this time, the market is simultaneously "visible" to two large audiences, resulting in better order execution and fewer false moves.
For day trading and careful scalping, this is perhaps the main hourly corridor.
Cryptocurrency trading by day of the week
Monday is often spent setting up positions after the weekend, and the day's structure can be choppy. From Tuesday to Thursday, the market is usually most active: more news, more trend breakouts. On Friday, there's a noticeable fixation before the weekend, and momentum tends to fade.
Saturday and Sunday are quite specific days for trading; in most cases, the price moves in a narrow corridor, but breakouts do occur when there is strong news.
The Best Cryptocurrency Sessions for Profitable Trading
There's no magic hour that guarantees profit. There is an approach that increases the chances of accurate execution and clear signals. If you're day trading, focus on the Europe-US overlap and the early hours of the American session: there's a higher order density, and strong levels are executed more accurately.
If you prefer a more measured pace, the European morning is ideal for searching for retests and entries in a calmly trending market. Do you prefer to rollover positions? It's best to enter during the day, in a liquid market, and reduce leverage overnight to prevent a sudden spike on thin volumes from knocking out your position.
Pay special attention to the news. US inflation releases, Federal Reserve meetings, major reports, and coin listings can dramatically change price behavior. In the first minutes after such events, slippage and spread spreads increase, so a conservative approach is to wait until the dust settles and then trade a confirmed level or retest.
