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 Colombia time (UTC-5) and suggests how to use them in a prop firm challenge.
Session times in Colombia
- Tokyo session: about 19:00–01:00 local time.
- London open: 02:00 in the northern summer, 03:00 in winter.
- New York stock market open: 08:30 in the northern summer, 09:30 in winter.
- London–New York overlap (most liquid): about 07:00–11:00 in summer, 08:00–12:00 in winter.
Colombia does not use daylight saving time. In the US summer, Bogotá shares New York's clock minus one hour; in the US winter, both cities show the same 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
Traders in Bogotá, Medellín or Cali can trade the US open in the morning and the end of the London session at the same time, the most liquid period of the day.
Paying for a challenge
Cards often work; USDT bought with Nequi or Bancolombia on a P2P exchange is a common alternative.