Forex does not close for Ramadan or Eid; the market runs 24 hours from Monday to Friday as usual. What changes is you: your sleep, meals and focus move, and the local stock exchanges in the Gulf shorten their sessions.
What actually changes
- Forex: nothing on the market side. London and New York keep their hours.
- Gulf exchanges: the Saudi Exchange, ADX, DFM and others announce shorter Ramadan sessions. Check each exchange’s calendar every year.
- Eid: Gulf banks and exchanges close for several days. Fewer regional traders are active, so gold and major pairs can move in thin, jumpy ways during Gulf hours while London and New York trade normally.
- You: fasting changes your energy. The hour before iftar and the hour after suhoor are the weakest for most people.
Sessions in Riyadh time (GMT+3)
| Session | Riyadh time (approx.) | In Ramadan |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 03:00–12:00 | Overlaps suhoor and sleep. Skip. |
| London | 11:00–20:00 | Fasting hours. Watch, trade little. |
| London–New York overlap | 16:00–20:00 | Busiest hours, but you are at your most tired. |
| New York | 16:00–01:00 | The second half falls after iftar. Best window. |
Times shift by an hour when Europe and the US change their clocks.
A simple Ramadan routine
- Trade one window: after iftar and prayers, roughly 20:00 to 23:00, while New York is still open.
- Cut your lot size by half for the month. Fatigue costs more than spread.
- Skip the first hour after suhoor and the last hour before iftar.
- Use pending orders with a stop loss instead of watching the screen.
- Keep a short list: two pairs or gold, not ten.
Example
Khalid normally trades EUR/USD at 0.1 lot during the London open. In Ramadan he moves his window to 20:30–22:30, trades 0.05 lot, and places a buy order on gold at 2,380 with a stop at 2,372 and a target at 2,396 before prayers. He checks once when he is back. The plan does the watching.
In Ramadan the market is the same. Your judgment is not. Trade smaller and later.
Eid and gold
Around Eid, jewellers in the region often talk about higher demand for gold gifts and coins. This is a seasonal story, not a trading signal; the global gold price follows the dollar and interest rates far more than regional buying. Treat it as background.
Mistakes to avoid
- Trading the pre-iftar hour because “the overlap is on”.
- Keeping the same lot size on half the sleep.
- Holding positions over Eid without a stop loss.
- Assuming forex shortens its hours because the local exchange does.
- Buying gold on the Eid “demand” story as if it moved the world price.
For the normal-year schedule, read our guide on the best time to trade forex.
Questions, answered plainly.
Does the forex market close during Ramadan?
No, forex runs 24 hours from Monday to Friday as usual; only local stock exchanges in the Gulf shorten their hours.
What is the best time to trade forex in Ramadan?
For most Gulf traders, the hours after iftar while New York is still open, roughly 20:00 to 23:00 Riyadh time.
Is it safe to hold trades over Eid?
Only with a stop loss, because fewer regional traders are active and moves during Gulf hours can be thin and jumpy.