FOREX.com Adds Weekend U.S. Index CFD Trading for Japan Clients

FOREX.com has added weekend access to two U.S. stock-index contracts for difference for clients in Japan, extending index trading into hours when traditional U.S. futures markets are closed.

FOREX.com announced the schedule Oct. 21 for its US SP 500 and US Tech 100 CFDs. StoneX Securities Co., Ltd. operates FOREX.com in Japan. The contracts let clients trade exposure to the two indexes through products offered by the broker.

During U.S. daylight time, Friday trading ends at 5 p.m. ET (21:00 UTC). The Saturday session begins at 4 a.m. ET (08:00 UTC), leaving an 11-hour break, and closes at 5 p.m. ET (21:00 UTC). Trading resumes at 6 p.m. ET Saturday (22:00 UTC), after a one-hour break.

The Saturday opening gives Japanese clients a trading window beyond the Friday close listed by Hirose Tsusho and Gaitame.com. Their index CFD schedules end at 4:30 p.m. ET (20:30 UTC) Friday during U.S. daylight time. IG Japan also offers a separate weekend index product called Weekend Wall Street.

“Markets are increasingly shaped by events that occur outside traditional trading hours, and investors expect the ability to respond in real time,” said Johan Gade, StoneX’s head of retail in Japan.

After the Saturday evening reopening, sessions run from 6 p.m. ET (22:00 UTC) to 5 p.m. ET (21:00 UTC) the following day during U.S. daylight time, with a one-hour break between weekday sessions.