Admirals, a leading global online trading platform, announced changes to its September 2024 trading schedule due to the upcoming bank holidays in the US, Canada, Hong Kong and South Africa. These changes will affect a number of financial instruments including CFDs, Forex, metals and exchange-traded products (ETPs).

The most significant changes will occur on Monday, September 2, in observance of Labor Day in the U.S. and Canada. On that day, trading hours for several key instruments will be reduced or completely closed. For example, metals such as gold and silver will only be available for trading from 02:00 to 21:30 Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), which is the time zone used by Admirals' MetaTrader platform. Similarly, trading hours for energy commodities such as Brent crude oil and WTI crude oil will be shortened and trading will close at 20:30 and 21:30 EEST respectively.

CFDs on indices will also see altered opening hours. The [DJI30] and [SP500] indices will close earlier at 20:00 EEST, while the [GERMANY40] and [STXE50] indices will have slightly adjusted opening hours from 03:15 to 23:00 EEST. Traders in US equities and ETFs will find that these markets are fully closed on September 2, reflecting a national holiday in the United States.

Additional changes will occur later in the month, particularly on Wednesday, September 18 and Tuesday, September 24, due to public holidays in Hong Kong and South Africa respectively. Trading hours will return to normal for most instruments on these dates, but certain markets, such as the [HSCEI50] and [HSI50] in Hong Kong and the [SouthAfrica40] index, will be closed on the respective holidays.

Admirals advises all traders to carefully familiarize themselves with these changes and adjust their trading strategies accordingly. The company also notes that while the times listed provide a general guideline, “normal hours” may vary depending on the specific instrument. Traders are advised to check the Contract Specifications section of Admirals' website for details on individual assets.

In addition, Admirals warns that these trading hours may be subject to last minute changes due to factors beyond their control, such as adjustments made by exchanges or liquidity providers. These changes may also affect conditions before the close, so it is important to stay informed to trade effectively.