Best Time to Trade Futures Market

What Are The Futures Market Hours?

The futures market is open for trading nearly 24 hours a day, five days per week. Trading typically begins on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time and continues until Friday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with a one-hour break from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time each day for maintenance and settlement periods. However, trading hours may vary depending on the futures contract and the exchange where it is traded, so it's important to check the specific market hours for the futures contract you are interested in trading.

Futures Market Session Opening Times

Futures Market	Trading Days	Trading Hours
CME Group	Sunday to Friday	5:00 pm to 4:00 pm Central Time (CT)
ICE Futures Europe	Sunday to Friday	10:00 pm to 6:00 pm London Time (GMT/BST)
Tokyo Commodity Exchange	Monday to Friday	8:45 am to 3:30 pm Japan Standard Time (JST)
Shanghai Futures Exchange	Monday to Friday	9:00 am to 11:30 am, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm China Standard Time (CST)
Eurex	Sunday to Friday	5:00 pm to 4:00 pm Central European Time (CET)

When Is The Best Time To Trade Futures?

The best time to trade in the futures market depends on the specific futures contract and the trader's location. Futures markets are traded on different exchanges around the world, each with its own trading hours. Generally, the most active trading hours for futures contracts tend to be during the opening and closing hours of the primary exchanges where they are traded.

For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) in the United States, which trades futures on various assets such as commodities, indices, and currencies, is typically most active during its regular trading hours of Sunday to Friday, 5:00 pm to 4:00 pm Central Time (CT).

The Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) in Japan, which trades futures on commodities such as gold and oil, is most active during its regular trading hours of Monday to Friday, 8:45 am to 3:30 pm Japan Standard Time (JST).

Traders should also consider factors such as market volatility, economic releases, and global events that can impact the futures market, and adjust their trading strategy accordingly.