The best time to trade crypto is not one hour on the clock. Perpetual futures trade every minute of every day, but the people and institutions behind the order flow keep office hours, publish data on a schedule and settle funding at fixed timestamps. Knowing that schedule tells you when books tend to be deeper, when moves tend to start and when costs land on open positions.
This guide maps the sessions in UTC, covers weekends, funding times and US macro releases, and shows how a QATS Crypto day lines up with them. It describes common patterns, not guarantees: markets change, and your own trading record matters most.
Crypto never closes, but liquidity has a rhythm
There is no opening bell in crypto, yet activity is uneven through the day. Liquidity tends to build when large financial centres are awake and thin out when they are not. Deeper books usually mean tighter spreads and less slippage for the same order; thinner books mean the same order moves the price further.
Many traders also watch the hours of the New York stock market, when US-listed spot bitcoin and ether funds trade and when equities react to the same macro news that moves crypto.
The three trading sessions in UTC
Treat the boundaries as approximate. Europe and the US change their clocks on different dates, so for a week or two each spring and autumn the gap between them is an hour shorter.
| Session | Approx. hours (UTC) | What often matters |
|---|---|---|
| Asia (Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore) | 00:00–09:00 | Regional desks and news; often calmer for the majors |
| Europe (London) | 07:00–16:00 in summer, 08:00–17:00 in winter | European desks arrive and test moves that started in Asia |
| United States (New York) | 12:00–21:00 in summer, 13:00–22:00 in winter | US data, the stock market open and fund trading hours |
| Europe–US overlap | 12:00–16:00 in summer, 13:00–17:00 in winter | Two large sessions at once; commonly the busiest stretch |
The best time to trade crypto depends on what you need
- Liquidity and tight spreads: the Europe–US overlap is commonly the deepest part of the day for the majors.
- Breakouts and trend days: moves often start around the European open, around US data releases or at the stock market open.
- Range strategies: quieter hours, such as late in the US afternoon or parts of the Asian session, can suit mean reversion, though thin books cut both ways.
- Altcoins: smaller coins usually have thinner books at every hour, so the session matters even more for slippage.
- Your own schedule: the best hours are also the ones you can trade alert, with the stop already on the book.
Funding timestamps on perpetuals
Funding is exchanged between longs and shorts at fixed times. On major venues it is typically every eight hours, at 00:00, 08:00 and 16:00 UTC, though some contracts settle every four hours or every hour, and some venues settle hourly as standard. Only positions open at the timestamp pay or receive it.
Around those times some traders close or open positions to avoid or collect a payment. For an intraday trade funding is usually small; on a position held across many timestamps it adds up.
On QATS, funding is settled on open crypto positions at each funding time of the contract, and it counts toward account P&L and the daily loss figure, as fees do.
US macro release times in UTC
Check an economic calendar each morning for the exact dates. The current QATS Crypto and TradFi plans set no news blackout window, so you may trade through these releases, but the loss limits apply to every tick, and a stop can fill well beyond its price in the first seconds.
| Event | Usual time (ET) | UTC, US summer time | UTC, US winter time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Price Index (CPI) | 08:30 | 12:30 | 13:30 |
| Employment report (payrolls), usually the first Friday | 08:30 | 12:30 | 13:30 |
| FOMC statement | 14:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| Fed chair press conference | 14:30 | 18:30 | 19:30 |
| US stock market open / close | 09:30 / 16:00 | 13:30 / 20:00 | 14:30 / 21:00 |
Weekends and holidays
Crypto keeps trading on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, but many desks and market makers step back. Books are commonly thinner, so a large order or a cluster of liquidations can move the price further than on a weekday, at any hour. Traditional markets are closed, so weekend moves can be re-priced when they reopen.
On QATS Crypto every day is a risk day on UTC. A Saturday loss counts toward the 4% daily limit like a Tuesday loss, and a weekend day with a filled trade counts toward the 2 minimum trading days.
How a QATS Crypto day lines up with the clock
QATS Crypto days run on UTC and roll at 00:00 UTC. At that moment the daily loss limit starts afresh, the end-of-day trailing floor can rise with a new high closing balance until the floor reaches the starting balance, and on contracts with eight-hour funding a settlement falls at the same time.
In the Americas 00:00 UTC lands in the afternoon or evening; in East Asia it falls in the morning. Note your local time for it once, because it decides which day a loss counts toward. TradFi days on QATS roll at 17:00 Chicago time instead, which moves with daylight saving.
Find your own best hours
- Tag each trade with the hour, in UTC, and the session it was opened in.
- After a few dozen trades, compare results, slippage and stop-outs by session.
- Note which trades sat through a funding time or a macro release.
- Drop the hours where your results are consistently worse before adding new ones.
- Test a new schedule on the free sandbox, which has virtual funds and the same server-side risk checks, before changing how you trade a paid evaluation.
Frequently asked questions
01What is the best time of day to trade crypto?
Many traders prefer the Europe–US overlap, roughly 12:00 to 16:00 UTC in summer and 13:00 to 17:00 UTC in winter, because two large sessions are active at once. The best hours for you depend on your strategy and your own record.
02Is it bad to trade crypto on weekends?
Not necessarily, but books are commonly thinner, so slippage and sudden moves are more likely. Keep a stop on the book and size for wider fills.
03What time is funding paid on crypto perpetuals?
On major venues funding is typically exchanged every eight hours, at 00:00, 08:00 and 16:00 UTC. Some contracts and venues use four-hour or hourly intervals, so check the contract.
04When does the QATS Crypto trading day reset?
Crypto days on QATS run on UTC and roll at 00:00 UTC. TradFi days roll at 17:00 Chicago time.
Educational content, not investment advice. QATS evaluations and initial funded accounts are simulated; payouts depend on eligibility, verification and the applicable agreement.