Economy
Expert Insights: Selecting the Best Currency Pairs to Trade at Night
If you are a night owl and looking to maximize your Forex trading potential, you’re in luck! A group of traders from Traders Union (TU) have compiled an informative guide on the best Forex pairs to trade at night. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced trader, this information will be of great value to you. The article covered the best currency pairs to trade at night, backed up by detailed research and expert analysis. Stay tuned!
Understanding сurrency pairs
Currency pairs simply show the value of one currency compared to another. Think of it like a ratio: in the EUR/USD pair, if it’s at 1.302, 1 euro is equal to 1.302 U.S. dollars. TU’s analysts often highlight the EUR/USD pair as a popular one, where traders swap euros for U.S. dollars in their trades.
Currency pairs are grouped into three main categories.
Majors – these always involve the U.S. dollar and are frequently traded. Examples:
- EUR/USD
- USD/JPY
- GBP/USD
Crosses – these are pairs of two major currencies, but don’t include the U.S. dollar. Some of the commonly traded crosses are:
- EUR/GBP
- GBP/JPY
- EUR/CHF
Exotic Pairs – these combine a major currency with one from a smaller or emerging market. They can be riskier but also offer potential rewards. A few examples include:
- USD/SGD
- USD/HKD
- EUR/TRY
According to experts at Traders Union, while beginners might find comfort in trading majors due to their stability, seasoned traders often dabble in exotics for potentially higher returns, albeit with added risk.
Navigating night trading in Forex
Forex night trading means buying and selling currencies after regular market hours. The exact times can vary, depending on the exchange. Traders can do this because it allows them to react to global events or financial news that occur outside of normal market hours. If you’re thinking about night trading, the experts suggest keeping track of the hours for each exchange and knowing when different regions’ trading times overlap. Thanks to this, the chances of buying or selling will increase. Just remember to stay updated on worldwide news, so you can make smart trading choices even at night!
Top currency pairs for night trading
Based on the guidance of TU’s experts, here are some top pairs you might want to explore:
Night session favorites
- AUD/NZD – often shows significant price movements during the night.
- AUD/JPY and NZD/JPY – are known to provide trading opportunities during overnight sessions.
Daily trading champions
- EUR/USD (Fibre) – this pair dominates with about 23% of daily trade volume.
- USD/JPY (Gopher) – offers predictable price movements, contributing to 13.5% of daily trades.
- GBP/USD (Cable) – known for its volatility, it covers about 6% of daily trade volume.
- AUD/USD (Aussie) -influenced by commodity prices, it also accounts for 6% of daily trades.
- USD/CAD – tied closely to oil prices, it represents 5% of daily trade volumes.
- USD/CHF (Swissie) – a popular choice, contributing to around 5% of daily global trades.
With this list, both new and experienced traders can better navigate the world of Forex during the nighttime hours.
Conclusion
Navigating the 24-hour world of Forex trading presents both challenges and opportunities. For those drawn to the stillness of night trading, understanding the dynamics of specific currency pairs becomes crucial. Traders Union analysts provide invaluable insights into the most potent pairs for nighttime endeavors, from the volatility of the GBP/USD to the predictable movements of the USD/JPY. By leveraging this knowledge and staying updated on global economic shifts, traders-whether novice or seasoned — can optimize their strategies, ensuring they are well-prepared to seize opportunities, no matter the hour.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange weakened further by 1.75 per cent on Tuesday, August 18, triggered by losses recorded by the duo of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and Food Concepts Plc.
CSCS Plc, the Nigerian securities depository company, lost N8.48 to settle at N90.02 per share compared with the previous value of N98.50 per share, while Food Concepts Plc, the parent company of fast food franchise, Chicken Republic, dropped 15 Kobo to end at N2.35 per unit versus N2.50 per unit.
Consequently, the NASD Security Index (NSI) further declined by 77.26 points to 4,348.76 points from Monday’s 4,426.02 points, while the market capitalisation dipped by N46.37 billion to N2.610 trillion from N2.656 trillion.
During the session, the volume of securities bought and sold by investors slumped by 82.6 per cent to 113,728 units from the previous session’s 652,081 units, and the value of securities slid by 12.4 per cent to N9.4 million from the preceding day’s N10.7 million, while the number of deals increased by 47.6 per cent to 31 deals from 21 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units traded for N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units sold for N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 79.7 million units transacted for N5.8 billion.
GNI Plc was also the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, trailed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units worth N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units exchanged for N415.7 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The value of the Nigerian Naira further appreciated against the US Dollar by N6.22 or 0.46 per cent in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) on Tuesday, August 18, to N1,343.32/$1 from the previous rate of N1,349.54/$1.
This occurred amid steady growth in Nigeria’s external reserves, rising to $52.32 billion as of August 17, 2026, giving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) enough arsenal to defend the local currency when the need arises in the FX market.
Also, the domestic currency improved its value against the Pound Sterling in the official market yesterday by N10.85 to close at N1,819.26/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,830.11/£1, and gained N8.55 on the Euro to sell at N1,556.24/€1 versus Monday’s N1,564.79/€1.
In the same vein, the Naira appreciated against the Dollar in the black market during the trading session by N5 to quote at N1,390/$1, in contrast to the N1,395/$1 it was traded a day earlier, and strengthened at the GTBank forex desk by N7 to N1,357/$1 from N1,364/$1.
NAFEM interbank FX turnover declined as financial institutions’ activities moderated. Interbank FX turnover dropped by 16.6 per cent to $364.709 million from $437.529 million, with the number of deals down by 39.3 per cent to 108 deals from 178 deals.
As for the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin (BTC) traded at $64,120.36, as most other major cryptocurrencies closed in the green amid a global selloff in chip stocks.
An Asian semiconductor gauge dropped more than 3 per cent, following a 5 per cent slide in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index on Tuesday, its worst session since late July, while investors await US Federal Reserve minutes and are widely expecting no rate change in September.
Solana (SOL) gained 1.4 per cent to sell at $76.66, Cardano (ADA) added 0.9 per cent to trade at $0.1748, Ethereum (ETH) grew by 0.6 per cent to $1,905.54, Ripple (XRP) appreciated by 0.4 per cent to sell at $0.9986, TRON (TRX) improved by 0.3 per cent to $0.3327, and Dogecoin (DOGE) soared by 0.2 per cent to $0.0698.
However, Binance Coin (BNB) depreciated by 0.4 per cent to $600.88, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 apiece.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited has recently struggled to regain its spark due to continued selling pressure from investors reducing their exposure to equities in favour of fixed-income investment instruments.
Yesterday, the stock market further shed 0.35 per cent on the back of profit-taking in the banking sector, which closed lower by 1.83 per cent. The consumer goods space lost 0.13 per cent, and the energy counter depreciated by 0.01 per cent, while the insurance index gained 0.04 per cent, with the industrial goods segment closing flat.
Business Post reports that the All-Share Index (ASI) decreased on Tuesday by 843.42 points to 241,611.23 points from 242,454.65 points, and the market capitalisation shrank by N545 billion to N155.973 trillion from N156.518 trillion.
Like the previous session, investor sentiment was weak after Customs Street ended with 22 price gainers and 37 price losers, indicating a negative market breadth index.
Red Star Express weakened by 10.00 per cent to N16.20, Trans-Nationwide Express crashed by 9.94 per cent to N2.81, Meyer depleted by 9.88 per cent to N15.05, Chellarams plunged by 9.77 per cent to N9.70, and Fortis Global Insurance moderated by 9.70 per cent to N2.14.
On the flip side, Haldane McCall surged by 9.97 per cent to N3.20, Veritas Kapital climbed by 7.09 per cent to N1.36, Tantalizers rose by 5.26 per cent to N4.00, RT Briscoe appreciated by 4.31 per cent to N10.90, and Regency Alliance grew by 3.66 per cent to 85 Kobo.
A look at the activity chart for the day showed the volume of transactions significantly retreated by 66.94 per cent as a result of the absence of big-ticket trades, and the number of deals dropped by 21.57 per cent, while the value of trades increased by 20.09 per cent.
Market participants traded 429.8 million stocks valued at N27.5 billion in 35,683 deals during the session compared with the 1.3 billion stocks worth N22.9 billion transacted in 45,494 deals on Monday.
Sterling Holdings led the activity chart with a turnover of 51.6 million units for N390.6 million. FCMB traded 50.0 million units worth N584.8 million, Chams sold 32.4 million units valued at N134.5 million, Veritas Kapital exchanged 180 million units for N24.3 million, and First Holdco transacted 17.0 million units worth N2.2 billion.
