Day Trading Hours

Can I day trade only a few hours a day?

Yes. Off course, the more time you spend day trading the better (especially at the beginning) - but you don't have to be glued to your computer 24-hours a day.

If you are only going to trade a few hours a day and you want to trade stocks, you will need to be there from 9 AM EST to 12 PM EST. As I have explained throughout this site, these hours are prime time hours for stock day traders.

If you want to trade currencies, you will have a lot more flexibility. Unlike the stock market, the forex market is open 24 hours a day for most of the week. This means that a currency day trader will have different trading hours to choose from depending on his availability.

After 1 AM EST, the European financial markets start showing activity and so does the currency market. During this time, currencies can be traded just like stocks during the first few hours after the stock market opens.

These early morning hours are great for U.S. day traders in Pacific Time (in places like California) or for Europeans. Currencies can also be traded during the hours of the day when the US stock market is open as well as when the Asian market opens in the late hours of the afternoon (when the US stock market is closed). After the Asian market, the European markets start kicking again and this round-the-clock process continues day after day. Learn more about currencies in the currency trading section of this site.

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