late friday traps, a short list
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2026 9:31 am
The last couple of hours on Friday, around 20:00 to 22:00 GMT in winter (21:00 to 23:00 WAT), carry a handful of risks that matter to short-term trades:
- Spreads that widen as liquidity providers cut risk before the weekend
- Slippage on fills, because the book is thin
- Position squaring that causes odd late spikes against the day's trend
- Stops sitting near round numbers that get touched on a single bad tick
- Weekend headline risk that turns holding past the close into a gamble
Not every Friday does all of it. Some are dull and end without a ripple. Still, a scalp that needs 3 pips net after costs has little room for a 1.5-pip spread, and a late-session stop-out can cost more than the whole day's work.
Do you stop trading before the last hour on Fridays, and what's the worst Friday fill you've had?
- Spreads that widen as liquidity providers cut risk before the weekend
- Slippage on fills, because the book is thin
- Position squaring that causes odd late spikes against the day's trend
- Stops sitting near round numbers that get touched on a single bad tick
- Weekend headline risk that turns holding past the close into a gamble
Not every Friday does all of it. Some are dull and end without a ripple. Still, a scalp that needs 3 pips net after costs has little room for a 1.5-pip spread, and a late-session stop-out can cost more than the whole day's work.
Do you stop trading before the last hour on Fridays, and what's the worst Friday fill you've had?