Holiday trading is always a challenge. Lagging participation typically leads to reduced liquidity and choppy price action. While these elements of market behavior aren’t always the norm, observance of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. regularly features abnormal order flows.

Thanksgiving Trading Hours

Depending upon the market you are trading, tomorrow’s business hours will vary. The coming Thursday/Friday sessions are scheduled with unique closes for several markets. Below are the key times to be aware:

Market                                               November 28                         November 29

New York Stock Exchange              Closed                                       Early Close, 1:00 PM EST

CME Globex                                      Early Halt, 1:00 PM EST          Early Close, 1:15 PM EST

Forex                                                   Normal Hours                         Normal Hours

Cryptocurrencies                              Normal Hours                          Normal Hours

As with most U.S.-based holidays, the major American markets are either closed or will close early. The forex and cryptocurrency markets are scheduled to conduct business as usual. 

However, be on the watch for lagging liquidity on the forex and crypto exchanges. Most American institutional traders will be out of the office for the coming two sessions. Barring a major market driver or news event, rotational price action will be commonplace for most asset classes.

USD On The Move Ahead Of Holiday Break

The USD is putting together a strong session as the Thanksgiving break bears down on U.S. traders. One of the big movers today has been the USD/JPY. Rates are on the rally north of 109.50. At this point, a key daily Double-Top pattern is being tested vigorously.

Overview: In a Live Market Update from Tuesday, I broke down a short trade recommendation for the USD/JPY. As of this writing (3:00 PM EST), the play is in the red with rates trending higher. Given the lagging liquidity of the coming 24+ hours, there is a good chance that this trade will be stopped out. If you are short the USD/JPY from 109.44 per the trade idea, be sure to have your stop loss down at 109.78 going into tomorrow’s U.S. Thanksgiving session.