• By CFD Trading
• 2025-10-27 01:49

Are Weekends Counted as Trading Days in Prop Trading Programs?

When folks dive into proprietary trading — or “prop trading” for short — they often wonder about the nitty-gritty details that can either make or break their strategies. One question that pops up time and again: Do weekends count as trading days in these programs? The answer isn’t as straightforward as a yes or no, and it depends on what assets you’re trading, the platform’s rules, and even your own approach to the markets.

Let’s unravel what actually happens when the curtain drops on Saturday and Sunday.

Trading Calendars and Asset Types: What Changes When the Clock Stops?

In traditional stock markets, weekends are the clear lines where trading halts. No buying, no selling — just a brief pause until Monday’s opening bell. But in prop trading, especially when dealing with diversified assets like forex, cryptocurrencies, or commodities, the lines blur.

Forex markets, for instance, run 24 hours a day during weekdays and often have reduced liquidity on weekends. Some prop trading firms treat weekends as non-trading days — the equivalent of market holidays. But others might still allow limited trading through specific channels, especially in the crypto world, which operates 24/7. You might find that your trading platform potently “keeps the lights on” during the weekend, but whether your trades are counted as “active days” depends on the rules of your firm and the asset involved.

Are Weekends Counted? The Industry’s Take

In many prop trading programs, weekdays are counted as official trading days, simply because most markets are active. Here’s a breakdown:

• Stock and Futures Prop Trading: Typically, weekends are considered off-days since stock exchanges like NYSE or NASDAQ aren’t open. Any trades placed during the weekend usually aren’t registered until Monday, which might mean weekends dont “count” as active trading days for performance metrics.

• Forex Prop Trading: Because forex is a 24-hour market, some programs treat weekends differently. Certain firms allow weekend trading in forex, especially when leveraging OTC (over-the-counter) markets or through ECNs. But, performance tracking and payout calculations often exclude weekends because of liquidity issues and wider spreads.

• Crypto & Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Crypto markets never close, making weekends just another day. If your prop trading strategy involves crypto assets, weekends are often fully counted, but be cautious—liquidity can be thinner, spreads wider, and slippage more likely, which impacts your performance metrics.

Why It Matters: The Practical Side of Trading Days

Knowing whether weekends count isn’t just a detail. If you’re back-testing strategies or aiming to meet certain profit goals, understanding how non-trading days affect your calculations matters. For example, if weekends arent counted, your gains accumulated over five days could look different than if you assumed a continuous trading calendar.

Also, for traders in prop programs, performance benchmarks are a big deal. Just imagine working hard during the week to hit a daily profit target, only to find out that weekends arent recognized in your trading days—it can skew your perception of progress and consistency.

The Future of Trading: Decentralized Finance and AI

Upcoming trends might change the game even further. The rise of decentralized finance—think smart contract platforms like Ethereum—are trying to create markets that are truly 24/7 and permissionless. With blockchain-based trading apps and AI-driven algorithms, the traditional boundaries of weekdays and weekends could become less relevant.

Still, these innovations come with their own set of challenges, like security concerns, regulatory questions, and liquidity issues. However, the potential to trade seamlessly around the clock and get real-time performance updates could transform prop trading programs altogether.

The Big Picture: Is Prop Trading Evolving Toward 24/7?

The industry is slowly shifting toward more flexible trading environments. Crypto and DeFi are at the forefront, offering 24/7 markets that don’t recognize weekends as a break. As AI and smart contracts improve, future prop trading setups might automatically adapt to these scales, making weekend trading more integrated and performance-based.

Picture a world where your trading performance is evaluated on a 7-day cycle, with no “off days” — that’s where the industry might be headed. For now, though, most traditional programs treat weekends differently based on asset types and platforms.

Final thoughts: Embrace the evolving landscape

Whether weekends count as trading days depends heavily on what you’re trading and the rules of your prop trading firm. For forex and crypto traders, it might be a different ballgame compared to traditional stock traders. Remember, staying updated with your platform’s policies and keeping an eye on the future trends, like DeFi and AI, will give you an edge in understanding what’s coming next.

If youre serious about prop trading, keep this in mind: It’s not just about where the market is but also about how your platform interprets the calendar. Adaptability and knowledge—those are your best allies as trading ecosystems evolve.

Trade smarter, days or nights—because the future of prop trading is all about breaking boundaries.