Understanding the Asian Session
Centered on Tokyo (with Sydney), the Asian session is typically the quietest of the major sessions. Ranges are tighter, moves are slower and price often oscillates between well-defined support and resistance — ideal conditions for mean-reversion trading.
The Range Strategy
The core Asian-session approach is to fade the edges of the developing range: buy near support, sell near resistance, with tight stops just beyond each boundary. The same range then becomes the foundation for the London Breakout strategy once volatility expands.
- Identify the session’s developing high and low
- Fade the boundaries with tight stops just outside the range
- Target the opposite side of the range
- Step aside ahead of the London open if you prefer breakout trading
Best Markets for the Asian Session
Yen pairs (USD/JPY, EUR/JPY) and Australian dollar pairs (AUD/USD, AUD/JPY) are the most active during Asian hours because the underlying economies are open. See our forex guide for how these pairs behave across the full trading day.
Managing Risk
Range trading looks easy until a range breaks. Keep stops disciplined and size every position using the principles in our risk management guide, because the low-volatility calm can end abruptly when London arrives.
Turn the range into a breakout
See how the Asian range powers the London open.