Asia opens the first full week of November with US clocks back on standard time, midterm elections on Tuesday and a Reserve Bank of Australia decision at 03:30 UK time the same morning. Friday 30 October closed with the dollar index at 101.96, gold under $4,000 after the Bank of Japan held at 1.25%, and sterling and the Aussie both up on the month.
This Sunday note sets the levels traders take into the Asian open and the UK times for the week ahead, with New York times in brackets once the US gap returns to 5 hours. Our free Telegram channel will post signals and alerts through the decisions.
Free on Telegram. Follow dollar, gold and Aussie levels through the midterms, the RBA and the Bank of England on the Forexuro channel.
Where Friday left the dollar, gold and the majors
These are the reference points Asia inherits. Dollar index: 101.96, a 0.5% gain for October. Euro: $1.1172 on the ECB fixing, 1.6% lower on the month. Pound: about $1.3396, roughly 1% higher. Aussie: $0.7032 at the New York finish, about 1.2% higher. Gold sat under $4,000 after a weak month for bullion, while Brent kept climbing on supply worries.
Every closed gold signal is listed on the XAU/USD results page, and the AUD/USD results page shows every Aussie signal ahead of the RBA.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 1.25% on Friday with an 8 to 1 vote, which firmed the yen into the weekend and capped gold. Our Friday report on the Bank of Japan hold covers that session in full. For live levels on Monday, use EUR/USD today, GBP/USD today, USD/JPY today and gold today.
US clocks go back: the UK to New York gap is 5 hours again
UK clocks went back on 25 October. US clocks go back early on Sunday 1 November. From Monday the gap between London and New York returns to 5 hours after a week when it was only 4 hours.
That matters for US data times this week. Payrolls on Friday print at 13:30 UK time (8:30am ET), not 12:30. Our market sessions tool shows which centres overlap once London and New York are back on the usual winter gap. US readers can also use forex signals for the US for the same UK times with ET in brackets.
What Asia and London watch before the midterms and the RBA
Sunday evening into Monday Asia is thin. Liquidity builds as Tokyo and then London open into a political and central bank week:
- Tuesday 3 November, US midterms. Polls close through the US evening. FX usually waits for a clear House and Senate picture rather than reacting to early state calls.
- Tuesday 3 November, 03:30 UK time. The Reserve Bank of Australia publishes its decision, statement and quarterly forecasts together. The governor speaks an hour later at 04:30 UK time. The RBA rate decision page and our guide to central bank rate decisions list the times and history.
- Thursday 5 November, 12:00 UK time. The Bank of England rate decision. See the Bank of England rate decision page.
- Friday 6 November, 13:30 UK time (8:30am ET). US non farm payrolls.
The central banks table keeps the latest policy rates after last week's Fed, ECB, RBNZ and Bank of Japan holds and the Bank of Canada rise to 2.50%.
Gold and oil into the Asia open
Spot gold finished Friday under $4,000 after the Bank of Japan hold capped a weak month for bullion. That level matters for Asia because Tokyo and Hong Kong desks often set the first gold prints of the week against the US dollar and the yen. If the midterms keep the dollar firm, gold can stay heavy even without a fresh US data shock. If the dollar softens on a divided Congress story, gold can reclaim $4,000 quickly in thin Sunday night trade.
Brent was on track for a fourth monthly gain into Friday on supply headlines. Oil feeds Australian terms of trade and can support AUD/USD into the RBA, so Asia may price crude and the Aussie together before London arrives. Watch gold price today for the gram and ounce markers once the week opens.
Sterling and the euro before the Bank of England
GBP/USD finished October about 1% higher, while the euro was down 1.6% over the month on the ECB reference rate. That split leaves sterling relatively firm into a Bank of England week and the euro softer after the ECB hold. Thursday's Bank of England decision at 12:00 UK time is the next sterling catalyst; until then, midterms dollar swings will dominate cable more than UK data.
Euro area flash inflation on Wednesday 4 November is the bridge between Tuesday's politics and Thursday's Bank of England. A hot print can lift rate odds for the euro and trim EUR/USD losses even if the dollar is firm. Our EUR/USD today and GBP/USD today pages update through the week, and the EUR/USD results and GBP/USD results pages list every closed signal.
Positioning and weekend gaps
Weekend gaps are common when Friday closes into a Monday packed with politics and a central bank. Stops sitting just beyond Friday's range can be swept in the first hour of Asia even when the news is light. That is a reason to size smaller into Tuesday rather than larger: the RBA at 03:30 UK time and US election headlines can both gap AUD/USD and the dollar index.
CFTC data into late October still showed a large speculative short in Australian dollar futures on our measure. Crowded shorts can squeeze on a firm RBA message. They can also deepen if the board holds or sounds ready to wait until December. Either way, the first reaction often overshoots before London reprices the Statement on Monetary Policy.
How Forexuro will cover the week
The free Forexuro Telegram channel posts free signals every trading day, usually between about 05:00 and 15:00 UK time, each with an entry, a stop and three targets. The RBA lands before that window on Tuesday, so the first London signals that day will already reflect the Aussie decision.
VIP adds more signals, live management and priority support on Lifetime, for £99 a month or £549 one time. Trading carries risk, and past results are not a reliable guide to future results.
Official sources
Official pages for the decisions, data and schedules behind this report.
- Reserve Bank of Australia monetary policy, official schedule and statements
- Bank of England monetary policy, decision timetable
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics employment, payrolls release schedule
Frequently asked questions
When do US clocks change in November 2026?
Early on Sunday 1 November. From Monday New York is 5 hours behind the UK again.
When does the RBA decide this week?
Tuesday 3 November at 03:30 UK time, with the governor's media conference at 04:30 UK time.
When are US payrolls this week?
Friday 6 November at 13:30 UK time (8:30am ET).
Where can I follow Forexuro updates for free?
On the free Forexuro Telegram channel linked from this page.
Sources
- CNA, Friday currency closes
- Mining.com, Friday gold prices
- CNBC market reports carrying Reuters Friday prices
- Bank of Japan monetary policy decisions
- Data for the charts: Friday 30 October 2026 closes as reported by Reuters via CNA and CNBC, the ECB reference rate for EUR/USD, and Mining.com for gold; event times from the RBA, the Bank of England, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Forexuro economic calendar.
Keep reading
Bank of Japan Friday hold · Central bank rate decisions · RBA rate decision · Central banks rates table