Beware of Trading on Public Holidays!
In this educational article, we will discuss why is it recommendable not to trade during the public holidays. I will explain to you how banking holidays affect the financial markets and how it may impact your trading.
WHY???
🏦 The main source of problems comes from the fact that the big market players like:
banks,
hedge funds
investing firms
are absent.
Similarly to ordinary people, bankers and investors prefer to spend the holidays with their relatives and friends instead of staring at charts on Holidays.
HOW???
But how does it affect the market?
Big players are the main source of the market liquidity.
The liquidity itself is the measure to which an asset can be quickly bought or sold in the market at a price of its quotes.
Therefore, when the big players are missing, the market liquidity drops.
WHAT???
1️⃣ That fact instantly reflects in the market spreads.
They become substantially bigger, directly increasing the costs of each trade and making it problematic to open a position at a desired price.
2️⃣ Secondly, low liquidity leads to a decrease in volatility.
The market becomes weak and indecisive.
As traders, we make the money on market moves. Our goal is to catch a bullish or a bearish wave. Their absence deprives us of profits or, at least, dramatically decreases them.
Look at a chart above, it is EURJPY on a 4H time frame. Look how weak and boring the pair was in US Independence Day - official US banking holiday.
And here is how weak and slow was Gold during US Independence Day on an hourly time frame .
3️⃣ Thirdly, when the liquidity is low, even small market participants can move the market.
It dramatically increases the probabilities of false signals. Relatively low trading volumes may manipulate the market, substantially decreasing the efficiency of technical and fundamental analysis.
Look at a density of false breakout on Dollar Index DXY on 15 minutes time frame the 19th of June - Juneteenth National Independence Day in US.
All these breakouts were the manipulations and false signals.
The increased costs of trading, low volatility and manipulations should have convinced you to stay from charts during the holidays season.
However, the main reason to not trade on holidays is much simpler.
Holidays give you an opportunity to stay with your family, to take a break, to recharge and relax. Even a part-time trading is very exhausting and requires a constant attention. Let yourself be distracted and return after holidays.
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Tradingonholidays
Trading on Holidays: Liquidity and Spreads
When trading forex, it's essential to check spreads, especially during holidays.
Trading forex during holidays can be a bit more challenging due to reduced liquidity in the market.
Liquidity refers to the ease with which assets can be bought or sold without causing a significant change in price. During holidays, liquidity can be lower as many traders and financial institutions take time off, leading to fewer participants in the market.
Lower liquidity can directly impact the spread, which is the difference between the bid and ask price of a currency pair. In times of reduced liquidity, spreads tend to widen, meaning the difference between the buying and selling price of a currency pair increases. This can lead to higher trading costs for traders, as wider spreads require a larger price movement in the underlying asset before a trade becomes profitable.
It's essential for traders to be aware of these potential spread increases during holidays to avoid unexpected trading costs.
Additionally, wider spreads can also lead to slippage , where a trade is executed at a different price than expected. This can further impact trading results, especially during fast-moving markets with low liquidity.
Therefore, checking spreads during holidays is crucial for forex traders to anticipate potential increases in trading costs and adjust their trading strategies accordingly.
On TradingView, you can check the spreads in the top left corner. There you can find bid, ask prices and the spread between them.
It's important to factor in the impact of wider spreads on profitability and risk management when trading during these periods. By staying informed about spread changes during holidays, traders can make more informed decisions and better navigate the challenges of lower liquidity in the forex market.
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