Weekend trading
Crypto trades every day, so why should someone taking risk treat Saturday and Sunday as days when anything can happen?
In plain words
Crypto markets never close. Unlike stock or bond markets, which shut over weekends, a digital asset trades continuously, and weekend sessions often have fewer participants and less liquidity. That thinner trading means a given order can move the price further than it would on a weekday.
Why it matters
Risk measured on a Friday can be stale by Monday. Traders who size positions for five-day markets can be caught by weekend gaps they did not plan for, and stops or margin calls can be triggered while traditional desks and support teams are closed.
In a real week: BTC, week of 21 October 2019
In the week of 21 October 2019, BTC's weekly high of 10370.0 was reached at 01:00 UTC on Saturday 26 October, and its largest one-hour move of 8.99% happened at that same Saturday hour. The weekly range was 42.05% and the week closed 15.89% above its Monday open.
A common mistake
Assuming quiet weekend hours mean safe hours. Lower volume does not mean lower volatility; in this week the largest hourly move landed on a Saturday, so a weekend session can carry the sharpest move of the week.