The final hour before 17:00 Prague: what tends to change
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2026 9:27 am
The London close at 16:00 is less discussed than the open, but the hour before it has its own behaviour.
What often happens:
A note on data: fix times and the exact window used by the benchmark have changed over the years, so check current methodology before relying on old studies. Your own M1 data from the last year or two is the most relevant evidence.
Do you trade into the London close, or stop earlier?
What often happens:
- The 16:00 London fix (WM/Reuters) can cause sharp moves in the minutes before it, especially at month end.
- After 16:00, liquidity falls as European traders leave.
- Moves late in the London afternoon sometimes reverse after the fix.
- Avoid holding through the fix window unless the plan accounts for it.
- End-of-month and end-of-quarter benchmark windows can be much larger, due to rebalancing flows.
- After 16:00, spreads stay reasonable on majors, but ranges shrink.
A note on data: fix times and the exact window used by the benchmark have changed over the years, so check current methodology before relying on old studies. Your own M1 data from the last year or two is the most relevant evidence.
Do you trade into the London close, or stop earlier?