Trading hours
GBP/CAD typically trades from Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 UK time (5pm to 5pm New York time), with no daily break beyond a brief pause at some brokers around the 22:00 UK rollover. Times on your chart follow your broker's server clock.
| When | UK time | New York time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly open | Sunday 22:00 (21:00 in the gap weeks) | Sunday 17:00 | Typically, at most CFD brokers. Wellington and Sydney are already in their Monday morning. Spreads are often wide in the first minutes and there can be a gap from Friday's close. |
| Daily rollover | 22:00 each weekday (21:00 in the gap weeks) | 17:00 | The trading day ends and overnight financing (swap) is charged. There is typically no long break, but spreads widen for a few minutes and some brokers pause quotes briefly. |
| Friday close | Friday 22:00 (21:00 in the gap weeks) | Friday 17:00 | Typically. Many brokers stop a few minutes early, for example Pepperstone closes all markets 5 minutes early on Fridays. Closed all of Saturday. |
| Busiest hours | 13:00 to 16:00 | 08:00 to 11:00 | Typically. Canadian data at 13:30 UK and the overlap of London and North America. UK data at 07:00 gives an earlier burst. |
Forex hours follow New York time: the week opens on Sunday and closes on Friday at 5pm New York time. For most of the year that is 22:00 UK. The US and UK change clocks on different Sundays, so in the gap weeks it is 21:00 UK. In autumn 2026 the UK moved back on 25 October and the US on 1 November; in spring 2027 the US moves forward on 14 March and the UK on 28 March, so from 14 to 28 March the open, close and rollover are at 21:00 UK and US data at 8:30am New York time lands at 12:30 UK instead of 13:30. European releases (UK, eurozone and Swiss) stay at the same UK time all year, because those countries change clocks on the same dates as the UK. Canadian releases follow the New York clock, so in the gap weeks they land one hour earlier on a UK clock. Times on your broker's chart follow its server clock, which many brokers set to GMT+2 in winter and GMT+3 in summer so the daily candle starts at the 5pm New York rollover. Check your broker's own contract page.
What is GBP/CAD?
GBP/CAD shows how many Canadian dollars one British pound buys. If it reads 1.8500, one pound costs 1.85 Canadian dollars. It joins the pound with a currency tied to oil and to the US economy.
GBP/CAD usually moves at two times of the UK day: around UK data at 07:00 UK, and in the afternoon when Canadian data and oil trading arrive. Daily swings in pips are typically larger than on EUR/CAD.
The trading sessions
Usually quiet, with small moves and wider spreads.
UK data at 07:00 UK can start a move, before Canadian traders arrive.
Canadian data at 13:30 UK, the Bank of Canada at 14:45 UK and oil trading move the Canadian side.
Typically the busiest window for GBP/CAD.
Contract facts
One pip is 0.0001 (the fourth decimal place). Most brokers quote one more decimal, a tenth of a pip, often called a pipette or point.
1 standard lot = 100,000 pounds (the first currency in the pair). A mini lot (0.1) is 10,000 and a micro lot (0.01) is 1,000.
One pip (0.0001) on 1 standard lot is worth 10 Canadian dollars (100,000 x 0.0001). On a mini lot (0.1) it is 1 Canadian dollar and on a micro lot (0.01) it is 0.10 Canadian dollars. Your platform converts it to your account currency at the current rate.
Most GBP/CAD trading happens in the spot market between banks and through CFDs. Cross rate futures volume is small, so CFD and spot prices are what most traders watch.
How far it usually moves
Varies with conditions; check the Average daily range indicator on WickSpeak for the current figure in pips. We do not publish a fixed number for GBP/CAD because we could not verify one from an official source.
What moves GBP/CAD
Expectations for UK interest rates are the biggest single driver of the pound.
UK inflation, wages, jobs and monthly GDP, all released at 07:00 UK, move the pound before London is fully awake.
Expectations for Canadian interest rates drive the loonie (the market's nickname for the Canadian dollar).
Canada is a large oil exporter, so a rising oil price tends to support the Canadian dollar and a falling one to weigh on it.
Most Canadian exports go to the US, so US growth, trade policy and tariffs feed straight into the loonie.
Scheduled events to watch
Sets UK interest rates for the pound side of GBP/CAD; eight a year, the next after today (5 November) is 17 December 2026, then 4 February and 18 March 2027.
Eight a year at 09:45 Ottawa time; the next is 9 December 2026.
Published monthly by the Office for National Statistics, usually mid month; a surprise moves Bank of England expectations at once.
Monthly from Statistics Canada, often on the same Friday as the US jobs report, which can make the Canadian dollar very jumpy.
Monthly from the ONS; wage growth is watched closely by the Bank of England.
Monthly from Statistics Canada; it shapes what traders expect from the Bank of Canada.
What it tends to move with
When the Canadian dollar moves, GBP/CAD tends to move with USD/CAD.
Higher oil tends to support the Canadian dollar and weigh on GBP/CAD.
When the pound leads, GBP/CAD tends to follow GBP/USD.
Tips for trading GBP/CAD
Check oil
A short GBP/CAD idea leans on a firm oil price. If oil falls sharply and GBP/CAD breaks the morning high, the short is proved wrong.
Afternoon break
Mark the London morning range. A close beyond it after 13:30 UK is a direction idea; a close back inside proves it wrong.
Jobs Fridays
Canadian and US jobs often come together at 13:30 UK. Wait for the first 15 minute close; a close back through its midpoint proves the breakout wrong.
BoE and BoC days
The BoE speaks at 12:00 UK and the BoC at 14:45 UK. A return into the pre-news range proves the first move wrong.
Connect a cTrader account once and, if your broker offers GBP/CAD, it appears on WickSpeak at your broker's own prices. Key levels show the previous day high and low, pivot points, round numbers and average daily range levels with how many pips away each is, Time of day DNA shows when GBP/CAD has tended to move, and every indicator writes a plain-English reading on the live candle. A Playbook play can alert you, paper trade, or place a trade inside guardrails you set, only on a play where you switched live trading on.
Related markets
Sources: pepperstone.com, pepperstone.com, bankofengland.co.uk, ons.gov.uk, bankofcanada.ca, www150.statcan.gc.ca, eia.gov. Checked 2026-11-05. Broker hours follow your broker's server clock and can differ.
Questions traders ask
What are GBP/CAD trading hours in the UK?
GBP/CAD typically trades from Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 UK time, which is 5pm Sunday to 5pm Friday in New York. In the few weeks when the US and UK clocks change on different dates, the open and close are at 21:00 UK. It does not trade on Saturdays.
What is the best time to trade GBP/CAD?
Typically 13:00 to 16:00 UK, when London and North America overlap and Canadian data is released. UK data at 07:00 UK can bring an earlier move.
How does oil affect GBP/CAD?
Canada exports a lot of oil, so rising oil tends to strengthen the Canadian dollar and push GBP/CAD lower. It is a tendency, and UK news can easily outweigh it.
When is Canadian data released in UK time?
Statistics Canada usually publishes at 08:30 Ottawa time, which is 13:30 UK for most of the year and 12:30 UK in the clock change gap weeks.
How much is 1 pip on GBP/CAD worth?
On 1 standard lot of 100,000 pounds, one pip (0.0001) is worth 10 Canadian dollars. On 0.1 lots it is 1 Canadian dollar and on 0.01 lots it is 0.10 Canadian dollars. Your platform shows it in your account currency at the current rate.