The London morning on US holidays
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 10:35 pm
On US holidays such as Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July, London is open but New York isn't. That changes the day.
What tends to happen:
Note that the day before and after a US holiday can also be unusual: early closes, half-days on US markets, and traders taking long weekends.
How to check for your strategy: compare results on US holidays with normal days in the same week. There are only about ten such days a year, so collect several years of data before drawing strong conclusions.
What do you do on US holidays?
What tends to happen:
- The London morning often looks normal.
- From midday London, activity drops, as US traders who normally join aren't there.
- Spreads can widen in the afternoon.
- Moves late in the day are less reliable, since liquidity is thin.
Note that the day before and after a US holiday can also be unusual: early closes, half-days on US markets, and traders taking long weekends.
How to check for your strategy: compare results on US holidays with normal days in the same week. There are only about ten such days a year, so collect several years of data before drawing strong conclusions.
What do you do on US holidays?