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 Mexico City time (UTC-6) and suggests how to use them in a prop firm challenge.
Session times in Mexico
- Tokyo session: about 18:00–00:00 local time.
- London open: 01:00 in the northern summer, 02:00 in winter.
- New York stock market open: 07:30 in the northern summer, 08:30 in winter.
- London–New York overlap (most liquid): about 06:00–10:00 in summer, 07:00–11:00 in winter.
Since 2022 most of Mexico no longer uses daylight saving time, so the US open moves between 07:30 (US summer) and 08:30 (US winter) in Mexico City.
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
The US open in the early morning is ideal for traders in Mexico: one focused session before work on the Nasdaq, US30 or gold. The London open happens in the middle of the night and is best skipped.
Paying for a challenge
Cards usually work; many traders also pay with USDT bought through SPEI on a P2P exchange.