Guide · measured
Bitcoin trading sessions: when BTC moves most
Bitcoin trades 24/7, but its volume does not. Over the 60 days to 10 November 2026 the New York stock market hours carried 49 % of the volume inside the three sessions, the hour of the 09:30 New York open moved 1.76 times as much as an average hour, and while CME bitcoin futures were closed (weekends and the daily break) Bitcoin traded about a third (35 %) of the volume of an open hour.
The three sessions
| Session | Share of volume | Average hourly range |
|---|---|---|
| Asia (7:00 PM ET (00:00 UTC) – 08:00 London) | 28.6 % | 0.46 % |
| London (08:00 London – 09:30 New York) | 22.4 % | 0.46 % |
| New York (09:30 – 16:00 New York) | 49.0 % | 0.64 % |
Measured on the Bitcoin perpetual's hourly candles, 1,440 hours. New York is defined by the US stock market hours, because that is when spot Bitcoin ETFs and US equities trade; the busiest hours were 13:00 to 11:00 AM ET (16:00 UTC).
CME hours and the weekend
CME bitcoin futures close on Friday at 17:00 New York time and reopen on Sunday at 18:00, with an hour's break every weekday evening. Bitcoin keeps trading, but in those closed hours its volume was 35 % and its hourly range 48 % of an open hour's. The gap between the CME close and reopen is tracked on the Bitcoin CME gap page.
The US open
The hour that contains the 09:30 New York open moved 1.76 times an average hour over 42 trading days. For levels, the overnight (Asia and London) high and low were broken in the New York session on 80 % of days; Bitcoin levels explained has the full counts.
Today's sessions, the CME hours and the US stock market times in your time zone are on Bitcoin trading sessions.
Common questions
What are the Bitcoin trading sessions?
Asia from 7:00 PM ET (00:00 UTC), London from 08:00 London time and New York for the US stock market hours, 09:30 to 16:00 New York time. Bitcoin itself trades 24/7.
When is Bitcoin most active?
In the New York session: 49 % of session volume over 60 days, and the hour of the 09:30 open moved 1.76 times an average hour.
Does Bitcoin trade less at weekends?
Yes: while CME bitcoin futures were closed, Bitcoin traded about 35 % of the volume of an open hour.