Dead hours exist, and doing nothing is a legitimate position

[Amanhasnoname]

Some stretches of the day offer very little. Spreads are wide, ranges are small, and moves lack follow-through. Trading through them feels productive and mostly adds costs.

Every market has them. For major pairs, the late New York hours and the early Asian lull are common examples. For other instruments, the dead zones sit elsewhere.

Finding them is a data exercise. Plot average range and average spread by hour, and the dead zones show up as stretches where the ratio is poor. Marking them on the clock removes the temptation to trade them.

The hours reclaimed are better spent on review, rest, or preparation. A trader who trades fewer, better hours often outperforms one who sits at the screen all day.

Accepting that doing nothing is a valid choice takes practice, especially for anyone who feels pressure to produce activity.

A shaded block on the daily schedule, marking when the platform stays closed, makes the rule much easier to follow when boredom strikes.

Which hours are consistently dead for the pairs traded, and what fills the time instead?