🕒 Weekend Risk — Why Smart Traders Close on Fridays
🎯 The Lesson
The market closes on Friday, but risk doesn’t.
Between Friday evening and Monday morning, price keeps moving — you just can’t see it.
That’s why professionals don’t gamble with weekend holds.
They know that gaps kill good accounts.
⚙️ What Weekend Gaps Really Are
A weekend gap happens when price opens on Monday far away from Friday’s close.
It’s caused by news, geopolitical events, or institutional orders during the off-hours.
Example:
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You close Friday at EUR/USD = 1.0800
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On Monday, it opens at 1.0850 — a 50-pip jump
If your stop loss was at 1.0820, it’s skipped — and your trade exits at 1.0850 instead.
That’s an extra 30 pips of slippage — pure damage.
📊 How Gaps Impact Risk
Let’s say you trade 1 lot (≈ $10 per pip).
A 50-pip gap = $500 loss instantly — even if your stop was placed.
On a $10,000 account, that’s –5% overnight with zero control.
Multiply that by multiple positions or correlated pairs, and you’re looking at a disaster Monday morning.
💡 What Pros Do Instead
1️⃣ Close most positions on Friday before the New York session ends.
2️⃣ Hold only long-term swing trades if:
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Stop loss is wide enough to survive a gap
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Risk per trade is under 1%
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The pair isn’t news-sensitive (avoid GBP, oil, or gold before weekends)
3️⃣ Re-enter on Monday after the market stabilizes in the first few hours.
🔑 Smart Rule: “Flat Before the Weekend”
Make it a habit:
“If I can’t monitor it, I don’t hold it.”
Forex runs 24/5.
You don’t get extra credit for playing 24/7.
🚀 Takeaway
Your goal isn’t to be in the market all the time — it’s to be in control all the time.
Weekends offer zero control, so professionals step aside.
Remember: no trade is better than a weekend surprise.
📢 Join my MQL5 channel for more trading & risk-management insights:
👉 https://www.mql5.com/en/channels/issam_kassas
