. The markets are open almost 24 hours a day and traders have access to moving markets at all times. The variety of instruments available for trading can make it difficult to step away from the computer and focus you energy elsewhere.
Maintaining consistent results as a trader means exploiting your edge over other participants and in e-mini trading there are times throughout the day when technical traders lose their advantage. Below we have developed a list of the best times to turn your focus away from the charts.
1. 4:15 pm EST - 2:30 AM EST
The hours immediately following the close of the trading floor can be very slow. Volume will completely dry up and the market can move at an incredibly slow pace. When the market does move it is often fuelled by overnight stop losses being hit and technical levels are often ignored making it extremely difficult to find high probability entries. Do yourself a favour and take time after the markets close to focus on other things. Give yourself time to come back the next day refreshed and relaxed.
2. 9:30 AM EST - 10:00 AM EST
The first thirty minutes of the US market session can be extremely volatile. Intelligent traders know to stay out of these conditions and to let the market orders disperse before they look for quality set ups. The daily news is usually delivered between 8:30 AM EST - 10:00 AM EST which can also add to the volatility. It is best to wait for panic and fear to subside before making any reads on overall market conditions for the day.
3. 11:30 AM EST - 1:15 PM EST
The East Coast lunch hour can prove to be very slow trading. Traders are better off taking some time away from the computer so that they can come back relaxed and refreshed for the peak afternoon session.
4. 3:00 PM EST - 4:00 PM EST
The closing hour is a mirror image of the first thirty minutes. Market orders rule here and that means unintelligent trading. Traders look to close out trades for the day and exact price fills are not as important. Solid technical support and resistance levels are often washed out by the sheer volume of participants at this time and it is best to steer clear of new positions.
These time frames are very general in nature but once you start paying close attention to volume and corresponding technical levels you will notice a pattern in e-mini trading. Although the market is open almost 24 hours a day it seems as though traders have agreed upon times of when it is best to participate. Don't fight the majority, go with it and you will see an increase in your e-mini trading consistency.