Currency pairs (forex)
One currency traded against another, for example EUR/USD. The largest and most active market.
Trading
Instruments and hours
What can be traded, and when markets are open. Which instruments a challenge allows is part of that challenge's rules.
The exact list of instruments we offer is not final. It depends on the trading environment we settle on, and it will be published here and on each challenge before you buy. Do not assume an instrument is available until a challenge lists it.
Kinds of instrument
These are the kinds we expect a challenge might allow. Each challenge says which it does.
Stock indices
A basket of shares tracked as one number, for example a country's main share index.
Commodities
Metals such as gold, and energy such as oil.
Cryptocurrencies
Digital assets, which can trade at any hour and move quickly.
Shares
Single company shares, which follow the opening hours of their stock exchange.
When markets are open
Currency markets trade around the clock from Sunday evening to Friday evening (UTC), as the main financial centres open one after another. Activity is usually highest when two centres overlap.
| Centre | Typical hours (UTC) | West Africa Time (Lagos) |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | about 00:00 to 09:00 | about 01:00 to 10:00 |
| London | about 08:00 to 17:00 | about 09:00 to 18:00 |
| New York | about 13:00 to 22:00 | about 14:00 to 23:00 |
These are rough guides. They shift when countries move their clocks for daylight saving, and the trading platform’s own clock may not match either column. A challenge’s rules name the timezone used to decide when a day starts and ends.
Things that catch people out
- Markets close over the weekend. Prices can open at a different level on Monday, and a stop does not protect you from that gap.
- Shares and some indices only trade during their exchange’s hours, and close on public holidays.
- Trading is thinner, and spreads wider, at quiet hours and around big announcements. See the economic calendar.