For many people who are seeking more opportunities to make that extra bit of profit on the weekends, trading has become just the ticket. With the rise of cryptocurrencies and some brokers offering weekend trading, the question becomes, is it worth it?
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Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
In this article, we’ll answer that question and cover everything you need to know about weekend trading.
Table of contents
- What Is Weekend Trading?
- Can You Trade on Weekends?
- Which Brokers Allow Weekend Trading?
- How To Trade on Weekends?
- What Can You Trade Over The Weekend?
- Weekend Trading Hours
- How Does Saturday and Sunday Trading Work?
- What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Trading on the Weekend?
- Is Weekend Trading Recommended?
What Is Weekend Trading?
Weekend trading is being able to access and trade financial markets on Saturday and Sunday. Cryptocurrency markets offer weekend trading, as do some markets in the Middle East (due to the differing workdays). At the same time, some brokers provide access to weekend trading on markets in Europe and the US.
Can You Trade on Weekends?
Yes, you can. Cryptocurrency markets are available to trade 24/7. However, the more traditional markets available to trade on weekends are limited. IG trading markets offer weekend trading on more familiar asset classes. Meanwhile, exchanges in the Middle East are open and available to trade if you can find a broker who provides the opportunity to trade them.
You can trade cryptocurrency markets on weekends, but there are also Middle Eastern equity markets that can be traded, such as the Kuwait stock exchange, the DFM index, or the Tel Aviv 25 index.
IG trading markets also offer the opportunity to trade the weekend GBPUSD, FTSE 100, Germany 30, Wall Street and Hong Kong HS50.
Which Brokers Allow Weekend Trading?
Several brokers now offer weekend trading, whether that be on cryptocurrencies or more traditional markets. For example, IG Markets offers weekend trading on more traditional asset classes. Below is a list of brokers that allow weekend trading:
- IG Markets
- eToro
- Exness
- XM
How To Trade on Weekends?
To trade weekends you will need to open an account with a broker that offers weekend markets. Alternatively, you could trade cryptocurrencies which are available to trade 24/7. There are a variety of cryptocurrency exchanges and brokers that you can choose from.
What Can You Trade Over The Weekend?
If more traditional markets are your thing, you can check out some of the markets in the Middle East that allow trading on weekends. This is because their workweek differs from the one we are more used to in Europe, the US and other regions. Here are some stock exchanges open on the weekend:
- Tadawul index
- Kuwait stock exchange
- Dubai stock exchange
- Tel Aviv 25 index
Alternatively, IG Markets allows weekend trading in more familiar stock market indexes such as the FTSE 100.
In some territories, weekend trading is readily available. Trading in the Middle East, for example, often runs on differnt days, such as Saturday to Wednesday or Sunday to Thursday..
The major indexes open on the weekend are:
- Tadawul Index – Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait Stock Exchange – the national stock exchange in Kuwait
- DFM Index – based on the Dubai stock exchange
- Tel Aviv 25 Index – the top 25 companies in the Tel Aviv Exchange in Israel.
But, you will be hard-pressed to find a broker in Europe or the US who will offer you the ability to trade these markets.
So, what about trading markets we are more familiar with, with brokers in our regions
Well, some well-known brokers offer weekend trading. If you take a look at IG, you will see that they offer a weekend market on the GBPUSD. They also offer weekend markets on various well-known indices such as the weekend FTSE 100 and the weekend Dax.
However, it is crucial to note that these markets are separate from their weekday counterparts and IG will price them based on volatility, liquidity and news over the weekend.
Weekend Trading Hours
On IG trading platforms, weekend trading hours work differently depending on the asset you choose to trade.
| Market | Trading Hours |
|---|---|
| Indices | 4 am on Saturday to 10.40 pm on Sunday |
| Cryptocurrency | The cryptocurrency market is open 24/7, including on weekends |
| Forex | 8 am on Saturday to 8.40 pm on Sunday |
Indices
Weekend trading hours on indices are from 4 am on Saturday to 10.40 pm on Sunday (UK time). Positions open at 10.40 pm (UK time) on a Sunday will roll over into weekday positions when those markets resume at 11 pm on Sunday.
Please note, however, that the FTSE 100 and Germany 30 will open for trading two minutes later than usual, at 11.02 pm (UK time).
Forex
Trading hours on weekend forex pairs are from 8 am on Saturday to 8.40 pm on Sunday (UK time). Any positions open at 8.40 pm (UK time) on a Sunday will roll over into weekday positions when the weekday market resumes 20 minutes later at 9 pm.
Open Demo Account
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
How Does Saturday and Sunday Trading Work?
On IG trading platforms, Saturday and Sunday trading works differently depending on the market.
Indices
With indices, your weekday positions will be separate from their weekend counterparts, enabling you to speculate on market developments over the weekend without having to alter your weekday positions.
These weekend markets are differentiated from their weekday counterparts by their names. For example, rather than trading ‘FTSE 100’ on a Saturday, you would trade ‘Weekend UK 100’.
Cryptocurrencies
Trading cryptocurrencies CFDs on Saturday and Sunday works a little differently – because the underlying market is open over the weekend, IG has extended their weekday market. So any CFD positions on cryptocurrencies will move over the weekend, and stops/limits can be triggered.
As current CFD cryptocurrency markets are now available on weekends, any stops and limits you hold will be affected by extended trading hours. This extra trading period means that you have longer to speculate on the price of these markets, and also that any stops or limits you have to open or close positions can be filled on weekends.
Forex
Our Saturday and Sunday markets on GBP/USD, EUR/USD and USD/JPY are separate from their weekday equivalents. This means you can speculate on market developments over the weekend without having to alter a current weekday position.
Weekend cable (GBP/USD) is distinguished from the weekday market by its name on the platform – ‘Weekend GBP/USD’. The same principle applies to EUR/USD (‘Weekend EUR/USD’) and USD/JPY (‘Weekend USD/JPY’).
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Trading on the Weekend?
Outside of having access to additional trading opportunities and potential for extra profits that come with it, there are a couple of key advantages to be aware of. And on the flip side, weekend trading does have its limitations.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Flexibility –Trading on the weekend can give you more time to focus on and analyse the markets | Low Volatility – On the weekends, there is little to no economic data being released, a limited number of traders, and a scarcity of financial or geopolitical news, leading to minimal price movements. |
| Hedging – You can use weekend markets to hedge if there is any news that could negatively impact a position you are still holding from the week. | Wide Spreads – Spreads are wider as there is a lack of liquidity in the market due to a minimal amount of participants, meaning brokers will make sure their spreads are wider. |
| Limited Instruments – There are fewer assets and limited instruments available to trade on the weekend. |
Open Demo Account
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Is Weekend Trading Recommended?
In truth, we have to say that the potential costs and low liquidity associated with trading European and US markets over the weekend don't make it a good idea.
As a result, we feel the weekend is a perfect time to get to grips with new strategies or to educate yourself. Take some time to learn how to trade CFDs or any other instrument you're interested in, recap data, or catch up on some weekly trend analysis.
In the long run, this will make you a better trader when there is real action in the markets during the week.
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Nigel Frithtrader
Nigel has been in the regulated financial services industry for nearly a decade, has previously owned a financial brokerage and has written many times for sites relating to personal finance and trading.
