Forex, gold and index markets trade almost 24 hours from Monday to Friday, but volume is concentrated in three sessions: Tokyo, London and New York. This guide converts them to Argentina time (UTC-3) and suggests how to use them in a prop firm challenge.
Session times in Argentina
- Tokyo session: about 21:00–03:00 local time.
- London open: 04:00 in the northern summer, 05:00 in winter.
- New York stock market open: 10:30 in the northern summer, 11:30 in winter.
- London–New York overlap (most liquid): about 09:00–13:00 in summer, 10:00–14:00 in winter.
Argentina stays on UTC-3 all year, so the US open shifts between 10:30 and 11:30 depending on US daylight saving time.
Which markets move when
- EURUSD and GBPUSD: from the London open through the overlap.
- Gold (XAUUSD): London open and especially the New York session, when US data is released.
- Nasdaq, S&P 500 and US30: the first 90 minutes after the New York open.
- USDJPY: the Tokyo morning and the New York session.
- Crypto: 24/7, with more volume during London and New York hours.
A realistic schedule
From Buenos Aires, the whole London–New York overlap falls in the late morning, which makes it easy to trade before lunch.
Paying for a challenge
Many traders in Argentina already use USDT; paying a challenge in USDT avoids card limits on foreign-currency payments.