Important times during a trading day

[Stockolio]

SPY options primarily but stock options as well.

Hour before closing time, is rock n roll!

 

[Overnight]

we could narrow it down to the equity market if that helps?

Yes, if yer going to narrow it down to "equity markets", then if ye be speaking of US equity, I'd echo Stockolio above...The last hour, and more specifically the final 15 minutes, from 3:45 PM ET onward.

 

[Handle123]

Reports and last 25 minutes of day session of most markets. One is to add more size and other less size.

 

[Turveyd]

11:45am, b/c that's when I leave to pick my daughter up from preschool.

I miss school run time for an hour, 9:45 to 10:45 EST just after US Open sucks, best time for sure.

 

[speedo]

The important time is when I get a signal and that could be any time of the day.

 

[tommcginnis]

00:00 Go to bed!! ("Fergawdsakes!")
03:30 European Open (Check your local listings.)
08:30 Major Economic Releases (YMMV)
09:30 Cash Market Open ("Idiot Hour I" which is ~30 minutes long...)
10:00 Morning Continues...
11:30 Euro-close (from ~11:20, Euro-capital wants to buy or sell their positions into U.S. mkt.)
11:45 Lunch Doldrums (ATR goes to crap, watch 4 Euro-close agenda REVERSE, return in 90 minutes.)
13:15 Afternoon Session
15:20 Closing Pressures ("Idiot Hour II." Time to finish the day's agenda -- whether in buoys or sinks the mkt.)
15:40 GET OUT.
16:00 Cash Equities Mkt Closes.
16:15 Futures Close (nearly.)
20:30 Asia Open begins I.
21:30 Asia Open begins II.

So, your best times for targeted volume are ~2 hours in the morning, and ~2 hours in the afternoon.

 

[Risepoint1879]

I personally trade 9:30-11am, the moves get much smaller after that.

 

[Clubber Lang]

8:30 economic numbers
9:30-11:30 (*10am numbers)
2:30-4:00
4:00-5:00 during earnings season

 

[chart pig]

Thanks for the answers. But i was thinking more granular. ie, prime brokers start calling clients regarding margin related issues around 2:45pm. 3:00 - 3:35pm all block/MOC orders need to be communicated with prime broker. there are skittish moves around those times. hedge funds use the info to trade the last 1hour 15 minutes into the close based upon the info, etc.
Day traders refer to various important intra day times but I don't have any idea why those times are important?

 

[chart pig]

00:00 Go to bed!! ("Fergawdsakes!")
03:30 European Open (Check your local listings.)
08:30 Major Economic Releases (YMMV)
09:30 Cash Market Open ("Idiot Hour I" which is ~30 minutes long...)
10:00 Morning Continues...
11:30 Euro-close (from ~11:20, Euro-capital wants to buy or sell their positions into U.S. mkt.)
11:45 Lunch Doldrums (ATR goes to crap, watch 4 Euro-close agenda REVERSE, return in 90 minutes.)
13:15 Afternoon Session
15:20 Closing Pressures ("Idiot Hour II." Time to finish the day's agenda -- whether in buoys or sinks the mkt.)
15:40 GET OUT.
16:00 Cash Equities Mkt Closes.
16:15 Futures Close (nearly.)
20:30 Asia Open begins I.
21:30 Asia Open begins II.

So, your best times for targeted volume are ~2 hours in the morning, and ~2 hours in the afternoon.

This is great, thank you.