The dead zone after rollover
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2026 8:51 am
Between about 5pm and the Tokyo open, many pairs go quiet. New York has left, Tokyo isn't fully awake, and spreads sit wide. The few trades that do print often come from automated systems or small flows.
For a scalper looking for volume and speed, it's a bad place to be. Ranges are small, and the spread eats most of what price offers. A stop that would be fine during London gets hit by noise here.
Some traders do run strategies in this window, usually mean reversion on pairs like AUDNZD or EURGBP where quiet markets suit them. But the costs are different and need tracking separately.
A basic rule is to keep a separate log for trades during this period. If the win rate and expectancy hold, fine. If not, the data makes the decision easy.
Is the dead zone avoided, or has it ever turned out to be worth trading?
For a scalper looking for volume and speed, it's a bad place to be. Ranges are small, and the spread eats most of what price offers. A stop that would be fine during London gets hit by noise here.
Some traders do run strategies in this window, usually mean reversion on pairs like AUDNZD or EURGBP where quiet markets suit them. But the costs are different and need tracking separately.
A basic rule is to keep a separate log for trades during this period. If the win rate and expectancy hold, fine. If not, the data makes the decision easy.
Is the dead zone avoided, or has it ever turned out to be worth trading?