Markets
Nasdaq 100: the best time to trade, hour by hour
When the Nasdaq 100 moves most in a day: the Asian, London and New York hours in UTC, the share of the day's movement each one carries and the busiest hours.
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The Gold Field Guide
Hourly prices from 25 Jun 2026 to 26 Oct 2026. Source: Baroq data.
| Busiest block | London and New York overlap 174% of an average hour |
|---|---|
| Quietest block | London morning 76% of an average hour |
The day in five blocks
| Block | Hours | Share of the day's movement | Average hour | Against an average hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 00:00 to 07:00 UTC | 26% | ±0.14% | 81% |
| London morning | 07:00 to 12:00 UTC | 17% | ±0.13% | 76% |
| London and New York overlap | 12:00 to 16:00 UTC | 32% | ±0.29% | 174% |
| New York afternoon | 16:00 to 21:00 UTC | 21% | ±0.16% | 94% |
| Late evening | 21:00 to 24:00 UTC | 4% | ±0.14% | 86% |
Hour by hour
How far the price moves in each hour on average, up or down, by the hour the move started (UTC).
The busiest and the quietest hours
| Busiest hours | Average move |
|---|---|
| 13:00 UTC | ±0.39% |
| 14:00 UTC | ±0.32% |
| 15:00 UTC | ±0.25% |
| Quietest hours | Average move |
|---|---|
| 20:00 UTC | ±0.10% |
| 10:00 UTC | ±0.10% |
| 09:00 UTC | ±0.11% |
The full numbers
Descriptive, not a forecast: past hours say nothing certain about the next one.
How to read it
- The blocks are fixed hours in UTC, listed in the table. They are not shifted for daylight saving, so in your own time zone they move by an hour in part of the year.
- Share of the day's movement adds up how far the price moves in each hour of the block, up or down, and divides it by the same sum for the whole day. A block with more hours carries more.
- Against an average hour compares the block's average hour with the average hour of the day: 100% means its hours move as far as a usual hour, 150% half as far again.
- An hour counts by the hour the move started and only when the prices are an hour apart; an hour with too few readings is left out.
- This says when the price tends to move, not which way. A busy hour in the past can be quiet next time, and it forecasts nothing.
Free book · PDF · 6 pages and 1 more
The Gold Field Guide
The gold day hour by hour, the six forces behind the price and the releases worth a place in your calendar.
Data and education only, not investment advice and not a trading signal. Public sources can be late or wrong; check before relying on a number. Past prices do not predict what a market will do. Risk warning · The words on this page, explained