Day-of-week effects: Monday mornings and Friday afternoons are not the same market
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 7:47 pm
Not all weekdays deserve the same treatment. Averages hide big differences.
Mondays tend to start slowly. Liquidity returns gradually, and ranges in the early hours are often small. Mid-week days carry most of the major data releases and bring the strongest moves. Fridays often see good volatility in the morning, then a steady fade as positions are squared before the weekend, with occasional sharp moves around US data.
Late on Friday, spreads widen a little and price can drift without conviction. Stops run into thin conditions.
The way to find out whether it matters is to log results by weekday. After a few hundred trades, differences often stand out. Some strategies lose on Mondays and win on Wednesdays by a wide margin.
Trading less on weak days can raise overall performance, even though it reduces trade count.
It goes against the instinct to trade every day, but selectivity is part of the edge.
Which weekday has been your best, and which one costs you money?
Mondays tend to start slowly. Liquidity returns gradually, and ranges in the early hours are often small. Mid-week days carry most of the major data releases and bring the strongest moves. Fridays often see good volatility in the morning, then a steady fade as positions are squared before the weekend, with occasional sharp moves around US data.
Late on Friday, spreads widen a little and price can drift without conviction. Stops run into thin conditions.
The way to find out whether it matters is to log results by weekday. After a few hundred trades, differences often stand out. Some strategies lose on Mondays and win on Wednesdays by a wide margin.
Trading less on weak days can raise overall performance, even though it reduces trade count.
It goes against the instinct to trade every day, but selectivity is part of the edge.
Which weekday has been your best, and which one costs you money?