Rewritten and fact-checked by the BeCoin editorial team, 23 October 2026.
Short answer: no hour of the day has a proven edge on Pocket Option. Timing changes three things you can check. First, what you are trading: Pocket Option's own schedule offers its 21 real currency pairs only Monday to Friday, 00:00–20:45 UTC. At night after 20:45 UTC and all weekend, every currency pair on offer is an OTC version, and Pocket Option does not publish how OTC quotes are formed. Second, who else is trading: London and New York, the two centres that handle about 57% of world currency trading, are both open 14:30–16:30 UTC in winter (13:30–15:30 UTC in summer). Third, the payout: it sets the win rate you need to break even, 1 ÷ (1 + payout). On 21 October 2026 at 08:56 UTC the middle payout on real currency pairs was 55%, so you had to win 64.5% of trades just to stand still. Below: session hours in UTC, Pocket Option's real and OTC hours, a payout snapshot, and the news times to avoid.
Market session hours in UTC
The currency market has no official opening bell. It is traded over the counter between banks and dealers around the world. The "Asian", "London" and "New York" sessions are a shorthand for the hours when the big centres are at work. The table uses each centre's stock exchange hours as a fixed, published anchor.
| Centre | Exchange hours (local) | UTC in winter | UTC in summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo (Tokyo Stock Exchange) | 09:00–11:30 and 12:30–15:30 | 00:00–02:30 and 03:30–06:30 | Same (Japan has no daylight saving time) |
| London (London Stock Exchange) | 08:00–16:30, closing auction 16:35 | 08:00–16:30 | 07:00–15:30 |
| New York (New York Stock Exchange) | 09:30–16:00 | 14:30–21:00 | 13:30–20:00 |
| London and New York both open | – | 14:30–16:30 (2 hours) | 13:30–15:30 (2 hours) |
Why London and New York matter for currency pairs: in the Bank for International Settlements' 2025 survey, sales desks in the UK handled about 38% of all foreign exchange trading and those in the US about 19%. Singapore had 11.8% and Hong Kong 7.0%. Global turnover averaged $9.6 trillion a day in April 2025, and the US dollar was on one side of 89.2% of trades. So the hours when London and New York overlap are the hours when the desks behind more than half of world turnover are both working.
That tells you when the real market is busiest. It does not tell you that your trades will win more often then. Busy hours also bring the biggest scheduled news, covered below.
Clock changes: the weeks that shift everything
Europe and the US change their clocks on different dates. For a few weeks each year London and New York are only four hours apart instead of five, and the overlap grows to three hours.
- UK and EU: clocks go forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, at 01:00 UTC.
- United States: daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, at 2:00 a.m. local time.
| Period | London open | New York open | Both open |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Mar – 24 Oct 2026 (both on summer time) | 07:00–15:30 | 13:30–20:00 | 13:30–15:30 |
| 26 – 30 Oct 2026 (UK back on GMT, US still on summer time) | 08:00–16:30 | 13:30–20:00 | 13:30–16:30 |
| 2 Nov 2026 – 12 Mar 2027 (both on winter time) | 08:00–16:30 | 14:30–21:00 | 14:30–16:30 |
| 15 – 26 Mar 2027 (US on summer time, UK not yet) | 08:00–16:30 | 13:30–20:00 | 13:30–16:30 |
US data released at 8:30 a.m. New York time also moves in UTC: 12:30 UTC in summer, 13:30 UTC in winter. If you set alarms in UTC, reset them after each clock change.
Real vs OTC assets: what Pocket Option offers and when
Pocket Option publishes two schedules: "General" for assets that follow a real market and "OTC" for its over-the-counter versions. Both list times in UTC+2. We read them on 21 October 2026 and converted the hours to UTC.
| Asset group | Days | Hours (UTC) | Listed hours (UTC+2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real currency pairs (19 pairs) | Mon–Fri | 00:00–20:45 | 02:00–22:45 |
| Real GBP/CAD and GBP/CHF | Mon–Fri | 02:10–20:45 | 04:10–22:45 |
| Real indices (14, e.g. SP500, US100, DJI30) | Mon–Fri | 22:30 the evening before to 20:45 | 00:30–22:45 |
| Real US stocks (16, e.g. Apple, Tesla) | Mon–Fri | 14:35–19:00 | 16:35–21:00 |
| Real cryptocurrencies (9) | Every day | 24 hours | 00:00–24:00 |
| OTC assets (112: currencies, stocks, indices, commodities, crypto) | Every day | 24 hours | 00:00–24:00 |
What this means in practice:
- Weekends and late evenings are OTC time. On Saturday and Sunday the General schedule lists only the 9 real cryptocurrencies. Every currency pair, stock, index and commodity on offer is an OTC version.
- No real commodities. The General schedule lists no commodities at all. Gold, silver and oil appear only as OTC assets.
- Real US stocks miss part of the exchange day. Pocket Option lists them from 14:35 to 19:00 UTC. In summer the NYSE trades 13:30–20:00 UTC, so the opening and closing hour fall outside Pocket Option's window. Pocket Option does not say whether its listed hours change with daylight saving time.
What OTC means here. Pocket Option does not explain on its public pages how its OTC quotes are formed, so you cannot check them against an exchange or an independent price feed. Market hours, overlaps and economic news describe the real market. There is no published evidence that they apply to OTC quotes. Keep OTC results in a separate journal from real-asset results.
Payout and break-even: the timing factor you can measure
A fixed-time trade pays the percentage shown on the ticket if you are right and loses the whole stake if you are wrong. The break-even win rate follows directly:
Break-even win rate = 1 ÷ (1 + payout)
Pocket Option publishes a live list of available assets and payouts. It says the data are "relevant only at the time of page loading". We loaded it at 08:56 UTC on 21 October 2026 (10:56 server time). It listed 145 assets: 111 OTC and 34 real. No real stocks were listed, because the US stock window had not opened yet.
| Group | Assets | Payout range | Median payout | Break-even at median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real currency pairs | 19 | 20–81% | 55% | 64.5% |
| OTC currency pairs | 57 | 20–92% | 74% | 57.5% |
| OTC stocks | 23 | 22–92% | 81% | 55.2% |
| OTC commodities | 7 | 45–80% | 80% | 55.6% |
| Real indices | 9 | 37–45% | 45% | 69.0% |
| OTC indices | 10 | 45–67% | 45% | 69.0% |
| Real crypto | 6 | 15% | 15% | 87.0% |
| OTC crypto | 14 | 40–92% | 89% | 52.9% |
Some single examples from the same moment: EUR/USD paid 80% (break-even 55.6%), GBP/USD 55% (64.5%), AUD/JPY 25% (80.0%) and Bitcoin 15% (87.0%). All 38 assets paying 86% or more were OTC. Of 24 assets listed in both versions, the OTC version paid more in 14, the same in 6 and less in 4.
Payouts do not sit still. We loaded the page seven times between 08:56 and 09:13 UTC. In those 17 minutes 88 of the 144 assets listed every time changed payout at least once. EUR/USD moved between 74% and 86% (break-even 57.5% to 53.8%), and GBP/USD between 34% and 58% (74.6% to 63.3%). Pocket Option does not publish how it sets payouts, and 17 minutes of data cannot show whether some hours pay better than others.
So the useful question is not "what time is it?" but "is this payout above the break-even for my measured win rate?" Turn the formula around for the minimum payout your journal needs: payout = 1 ÷ win rate − 1. A 55% win rate needs at least 81.8%; a 60% win rate needs 66.7%. For the reasoning, see expectancy in binary trading and why win rate alone doesn't matter.
News release times: when to be careful
Scheduled data and central bank decisions can move real currency pairs and indices sharply within seconds. A short-expiry trade opened just before a release is a bet on the number, not on your chart setup. A simple rule is to skip the minutes around these times. Upcoming dates from the official calendars:
| Date | Event | Local time | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 28 Oct 2026 | US Federal Reserve (FOMC) statement | 2:00 p.m. New York | 18:00 |
| Thu 29 Oct 2026 | ECB monetary policy decision; press conference 30 minutes later | 14:15 Frankfurt | 13:15 |
| Thu 5 Nov 2026 | Bank of England Bank Rate decision | Check the Bank of England's page for the time | |
| Fri 6 Nov 2026 | US jobs report (Employment Situation) | 8:30 a.m. New York | 13:30 |
| Tue 10 Nov 2026 | US consumer prices (CPI) | 8:30 a.m. New York | 13:30 |
| Fri 4 Dec 2026 | US jobs report | 8:30 a.m. New York | 13:30 |
| Thu 10 Dec 2026 | US consumer prices (CPI) | 8:30 a.m. New York | 13:30 |
| Thu 17 Dec 2026 | ECB decision and Bank of England decision | ECB 14:15 Frankfurt | ECB 13:15 |
Notice that most of these land at 13:15–13:30 UTC in winter, just before New York opens and inside London hours. That is part of why the busy window is also the most news-heavy one. Check a full calendar each week; our guide on how to use economic calendars effectively explains impact ratings and how to read forecasts. These releases describe the real market; they do not tell you how an OTC quote will behave.
A timing checklist before each session
- Confirm the clock. Pocket Option's public schedules use UTC+2. Know what your chart shows and convert to UTC once.
- Real or OTC? Check the asset name. If it ends in "OTC", market hours and news do not describe it.
- Is the real asset open? Currency pairs and indices until 20:45 UTC on weekdays; US stocks 14:35–19:00 UTC.
- Read the payout on the ticket. Work out 1 ÷ (1 + payout). If it is above your measured win rate, skip.
- Check the calendar. Is a high-impact release due in the next 15 minutes? If yes, wait.
- Log the hour. Record time (UTC), asset, real/OTC, payout and result in the trading journal. After a few hundred trades you can see whether any hour is actually different for you.
- Size the stake first. A fixed small share of the account, set with the position size calculator, whatever the hour.
To try a timing rule without money, use the demo account or the trading simulator. Our Pocket Option strategy guide and 1-minute strategy rules cover setups and skip lists.
Is Pocket Option regulated?
Pocket Option does not name a regulator on its own site. Official sources:
| Authority | What it says | Date |
|---|---|---|
| UK Financial Conduct Authority | "This firm may be providing or promoting financial services or products without our permission. You should avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams." Lists pocketoption.com, potrade.com and an address in Castries, Saint Lucia. | First published 29 Sep 2021, updated 10 Feb 2026 |
| CONSOB (Italy) | Asked Google to remove the "Pocket Option" Android app, linked to Po Trade Ltd, from the Italian market for offering financial services without authorisation. | 26 Feb 2026 |
| ESMA (EU) | Prohibited the marketing, distribution and sale of binary options to retail clients, citing their "structural expected negative return". | Agreed 23 Mar 2018 |
Pocket Option's site says it does not serve residents of the EEA, USA, Israel, UK, Philippines, Japan or Brazil. Check your own country's regulator before opening any account. Our Pocket Option broker page has account details, and our methodology explains how we check facts.
FAQ
What is the best time to trade on Pocket Option?
No hour has a published, verified edge. If you trade real currency pairs, the busiest hours are when London and New York are both open: 14:30–16:30 UTC in winter, 13:30–15:30 UTC in summer. Real pairs are available on weekdays 00:00–20:45 UTC. Whatever the hour, trade only when the payout's break-even is below your measured win rate.
What is the best time to trade OTC on Pocket Option?
There is no evidence-based answer. OTC assets run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and Pocket Option does not publish how their quotes are formed, so market sessions and news do not explain them. If you trade OTC, test each asset on demo and log results by hour.
Can you trade on Pocket Option on weekends?
Yes, but on Saturday and Sunday only OTC assets and 9 real cryptocurrencies are listed. On the morning of 21 October 2026 most real cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin included, paid 15%, which needs an 87% win rate to break even. Ethereum, listed a minute later, paid 40% (71.4%).
What time does forex open on Pocket Option?
Its schedule lists real currency pairs from 02:00 to 22:45 server time (UTC+2), Monday to Friday. That is 00:00–20:45 UTC. GBP/CAD and GBP/CHF start later, at 02:10 UTC.
What time zone does Pocket Option use?
Its public asset pages are labelled UTC+2. When we loaded the payout page at 08:56 UTC on 21 October 2026, it showed 10:56. Pocket Option does not say on those pages whether that offset changes during the year.
Is it good to trade on Pocket Option at night?
After 20:45 UTC the real currency pairs and indices close, so most of what is left is OTC. The Tokyo exchange opens at 00:00 UTC. A quieter hour is not a better one; check the payout and whether the asset is real.
Do payouts change by time of day?
They change within minutes: in our 17-minute sample EUR/USD ranged from 74% to 86%. Pocket Option does not publish a schedule or rule for payouts, and a short sample cannot show a time-of-day pattern. Read the payout on each ticket.
Bottom line
The "best time" on Pocket Option is not a magic hour. It is a set of checks: is the asset real or OTC, is its market open, is big news due, and does the payout clear the break-even for your own win rate? For real currency pairs, the London and New York overlap is the busiest window, and it shifts by an hour with the clocks. Log every trade by hour on demo before you trust any timing rule.
