Is the forex market open on Thanksgiving 2026?

Last updated 8 November 2026 · By Forexuro Desk · Editorial policy

Which sessions are open, session by session

Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday of November, so the closure lands in the middle of a trading week. The table shows each day of the holiday stretch with the four main centres in UK time and US Eastern Time.

Thursday 26 November 2026

Spot forex is open, with thinner liquidity in the currencies whose markets are on holiday, so spreads can widen.

Friday 27 November 2026

Spot forex is open, with thinner liquidity in the currencies whose markets are on holiday, so spreads can widen.

Session hours follow normal office hours in each centre (Sydney 07:00 to 16:00, Tokyo 09:00 to 18:00, London and New York 08:00 to 17:00, local time), the same model as the market sessions clock, converted for this exact date so clock changes are included.

Gold and forex trading hours

Gold is priced in dollars and its busiest hours are London and New York, so the US holiday matters more for XAU/USD than for most pairs.

Spot gold (XAU/USD) and spot forex trade over the counter, so the exact hours on a holiday are set by your broker, which publishes a holiday notice. COMEX gold futures on CME Globex are the exchange-traded reference; settlement information is from the CME Group holiday calendar.

Liquidity: what changes

With New York shut on Thursday, the London afternoon loses its usual overlap with US traders, which is normally the busiest stretch of the day for EUR/USD, GBP/USD and gold. Prices still move, but fewer banks quote, so the gap between bid and ask can be wider than on a normal Thursday and a single large order can push price further than usual.

There are no US data releases on the holiday itself, so the economic calendar is quiet in the afternoon. US releases due that week can be brought forward to Wednesday, so check the economic calendar for that week.

Black Friday is a half day for US markets: the NYSE closes at 1:00pm New York time and the US bond market closes early too, while London trades a full day. Many US desks are thinly staffed, so the Friday London session tends to carry the week's last real volume.

Forexuro keeps posting free signals on trading days, usually between about 05:00 and 15:00 UK time, and the team flags holiday-thinned sessions in the free channel before they start.

What happened around this holiday in 2025

Last time, in 2025 (Thursday 27 November 2025 to Friday 28 November 2025), this is how the official rates and gold traded in the days around the holiday:

EUR/USD moved from 1.1518 to 1.1596 over the window (up 78 pips). GBP/USD moved from 1.3096 to 1.3186 over the window (up 90 pips). USD/JPY moved from 156.94 to 155.92 over the window (down 102 pips). Gold traded between $4,033.09 and $4,303.42 over the same days, a range of $270.33.

EUR/USD, GBP/USD and USD/JPY: Federal Reserve H.10 noon buying rates in New York, via FRED. The Fed publishes no rate on US holidays, shown as "no fix". Gold: daily close (00:00 UTC) of PAXG/USD on Coinbase, a token backed by one troy ounce of London Good Delivery gold that trades every day, used because spot gold has no exchange close on holidays.

Forexuro signals closed from 24 November 2025 to 2 December 2025: 29, and 27 of them reached a take profit (success rate 93.1%, +1,871 pips).

• 25 November 2025: XAU/USD buy at 4127, stop 4107, closed at TP3 (4147) for +200 pips
• 26 November 2025: XAU/USD buy at 4159, stop 4139, closed at TP3 (4179) for +200 pips
• 27 November 2025: XAU/USD buy at 4158, stop 4138, closed at TP3 (4178) for +200 pips

Signals from the Forexuro public record (CSV), every closed trade listed with its outcome. Success rate is take profits divided by take profits plus stops.

For US traders: what Thanksgiving week looks like

If you trade from the US, the practical change is on Thursday: your local stock and futures settlement day disappears, but the forex market you follow keeps running through the European session. US traders who follow gold signals through COMEX gold futures (GC or Micro Gold) should note the CME schedule in the table above, because the futures market sets its own holiday hours.

On Friday the morning is normal in New York until the early closes, so most US-hours activity is squeezed into a few hours. Signal times on Forexuro are always given in UK time first, with ET in brackets, so you can match them to your clock.

Other closures in the same fortnight

• Monday 23 November 2026: Tokyo closed (Labour Thanksgiving Day)

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• US market holidays and early closes: NYSE
• COMEX gold holiday schedule: CME Group holiday calendar
• Last year's rates: FRED (Federal Reserve H.10); gold: Coinbase PAXG/USD; signals: Forexuro record CSV

Related pages

• Forex market holidays 2026 and 2027
• Market sessions clock in UK time
• Economic calendar in UK time

Trading forex and gold carries a high risk of loss, and holiday sessions can gap. Education only, not financial advice. Read our risk disclosure.