Summer liquidity: cutting the Friday afternoon window
Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2026 1:52 am
Every summer I cut the Friday afternoon window, and every summer I am tempted to undo it.
The rule is simple: from June until the end of August, my Friday EURUSD trading ends at 12:00 London. If Asia was dull and lunch spreads are already drifting wider, I stop earlier. I do not wait for the US open hoping for movement.
The reason is in my journal. Summer Friday afternoons had the worst ratio of scratches to clean trades of any slot in the week. Lots of small losses, barely any follow-through, and too many trades taken purely out of boredom. Once I removed them, my summer weeks became flatter but noticeably less frustrating.
The important bit is that the cut is written on the sheet from the first of June, not decided at 14:30 when I am already bored. If I decide in the moment, I always find a reason to take one more trade.
What I do with the free time: the weekly review, a look at the deals tab, then I leave the desk. A shorter week in July is not a lost week. It is a cheaper one.
The rule is simple: from June until the end of August, my Friday EURUSD trading ends at 12:00 London. If Asia was dull and lunch spreads are already drifting wider, I stop earlier. I do not wait for the US open hoping for movement.
The reason is in my journal. Summer Friday afternoons had the worst ratio of scratches to clean trades of any slot in the week. Lots of small losses, barely any follow-through, and too many trades taken purely out of boredom. Once I removed them, my summer weeks became flatter but noticeably less frustrating.
The important bit is that the cut is written on the sheet from the first of June, not decided at 14:30 when I am already bored. If I decide in the moment, I always find a reason to take one more trade.
What I do with the free time: the weekly review, a look at the deals tab, then I leave the desk. A shorter week in July is not a lost week. It is a cheaper one.