Trading hours
Typically open from Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 UK time (5pm to 5pm New York time), with a short pause around the 22:00 rollover each weekday at some brokers. Times on your chart follow your broker's server clock.
| When | UK time | New York time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly open | Sunday 22:00 | Sunday 17:00 | Typically, at most CFD brokers. The first minutes after the open can have wide spreads. |
| Daily rollover | 22:00 each weekday | 17:00 | The trading day ends and overnight financing (swap) is charged. Spreads widen for a few minutes either side, and some brokers pause quotes for one to five minutes. |
| Friday close | Friday 22:00 | Friday 17:00 | Typically. Many brokers stop about 5 minutes early on Fridays. Closed all of Saturday. |
| Underlying market | Zurich working day about 07:00 to 16:00 | 02:00 to 11:00 | Swiss banks and the Swiss National Bank work on Zurich time, one hour ahead of the UK all year. |
| Busiest hours | 07:00 to 17:00 | 02:00 to 12:00 | Zurich and London open at about the same time. The 13:00 to 17:00 overlap with New York brings US data and the most volume. |
Forex hours are set by New York time: the week opens and closes at 5pm New York time. For most of the year that is 22:00 UK time. The UK and the US change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks a year it is 21:00 UK instead. In 2026 the UK went back on 25 October and the US on 1 November, so the week of 26 to 31 October closed at 21:00 UK. In 2027 the US moves forward on 14 March and the UK on 28 March, so those two weeks also close at 21:00 UK. US data at 8:30am New York time lands at 13:30 UK for most of the year and 12:30 in the gap weeks. Your chart times follow your broker's server clock, which many brokers set two hours ahead of UK winter time so each daily candle starts at the 5pm New York rollover. Switzerland changes its clocks on the same dates as the UK, so Swiss news times stay the same in UK time all year.
What is USD/CHF?
USD/CHF is the price of one US dollar in Swiss francs. A price of 0.8000 means one dollar buys 0.80 francs. If the price rises, the dollar is strengthening against the franc; if it falls, the franc is strengthening. Traders call it the Swissie.
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) survey of April 2025 found the franc was the sixth most traded currency, on one side of 6.4% of all trades, and USD/CHF made up 4.9% of global currency turnover. The franc is widely treated as a safe haven, so the pair often falls when markets get nervous.
The trading sessions
Usually quiet. Price often drifts in a narrow range unless there is overnight risk news.
Volume arrives with Europe. Swiss data at 07:30 or 08:30 UK and SNB decisions at 08:30 UK land here.
The busiest window. US data at 13:30 UK often sets the direction for the afternoon.
Usually slows into the rollover, except on Federal Reserve decision days at 19:00 UK.
Contract facts
One pip is 0.0001 (the fourth decimal place). Most brokers quote a fifth decimal, a tenth of a pip, often called a pipette or point.
1 standard lot = 100,000 US dollars. A mini lot (0.1) is 10,000 and a micro lot (0.01) is 1,000.
One pip on 1 standard lot is worth 10 Swiss francs (100,000 x 0.0001). On a mini lot it is 1 Swiss francs. Your broker converts that into your account currency at the current rate.
CME Swiss franc futures (symbol 6S): 125,000 francs per contract, quoted in dollars per franc (so the future moves the opposite way to USD/CHF), traded on CME Globex Sunday to Friday 5:00pm to 4:00pm Chicago time, with a 60 minute break each day (Sunday 23:00 to Friday 22:00 UK time for most of the year).
How far it usually moves
Varies; check the Average daily range indicator. It averages the distance from each day's high to its low (by default over the last 14 days) and draws the expected high and low for today. We do not quote a fixed number because the range changes with news and volatility.
What moves USD/CHF
Swiss National Bank rate decisions and comments about buying or selling francs to steer the currency.
US rate decisions and the gap between US and Swiss interest rates.
In a sharp sell off in shares, money often moves into the franc and the pair tends to fall.
Jobs, inflation and business surveys move the dollar side of the pair.
Swiss consumer prices guide what the SNB does next.
Because Switzerland trades heavily with the eurozone, USD/CHF often mirrors EUR/USD.
Scheduled events to watch
Four a year, published at 09:30 Zurich time with a news conference at 10:00; next on 10 December 2026, then 18 March 2027.
The US rate sets the price of the dollar side of the pair; next decision 9 December 2026, then 27 January 2027.
Usually the first Friday of the month (next: 6 November and 4 December 2026) and often the biggest dollar mover of the month.
Monthly, usually mid month; a surprise shifts expectations for the Federal Reserve.
Monthly from the Federal Statistical Office; it shapes expectations for the next SNB move.
What it tends to move with
Tends to move in the opposite direction to EUR/USD, because both are driven by the dollar and the franc follows the euro closely.
Tends to fall when US30 and NAS100 drop sharply, as money moves into the franc.
Gold and the franc are both bought in nervous markets, so gold rising and USD/CHF falling often happen together.
These are tendencies, not rules. They can break for days or weeks around central bank news.
Tips for trading USD/CHF
Watch risk mood first
If indices are falling hard, a long USD/CHF idea is fighting the safe haven flow. A short idea from a failed rally is wrong if price closes back above that rally's high.
Use the European open
Mark the Asian high and low before 07:00 UK. A break that holds outside the range is the idea; a close back inside it proves it wrong.
Respect SNB days
On SNB mornings, wait for the first 15 minute candle after 08:30 UK to close. Trade a break of that candle's high or low; a close back through the other side proves it wrong.
Check EUR/USD
A USD/CHF breakout that EUR/USD is not confirming in the opposite direction is weaker. The idea is wrong if USD/CHF closes back inside its previous range.
Size from the level
Set the stop in pips beyond a real level such as yesterday's high or low and cut the lot size if the stop is wide, rather than moving the stop closer.
Connect your cTrader account once and USD/CHF appears on WickSpeak at your own broker's prices, with key levels (pivots, previous day high and low, average daily range levels, round numbers) each showing how many pips away it is, and a plain-English reading on the live candle from every indicator. A Playbook play on this pair can send an alert, draw a trade plan, paper trade, or place a live trade inside guardrails you set, but only if you switched live trading on for that play.
Related markets
Sources: bis.org, bis.org, snb.ch, cmegroup.com, federalreserve.gov, bls.gov, pepperstone.com. Checked 2026-11-05. Broker hours follow your broker's server clock and can differ.
Questions traders ask
What is the best time to trade USD/CHF?
For most traders it is 07:00 to 17:00 UK time, and especially 13:00 to 17:00 when London and New York overlap. Volume is highest then and spreads are usually tightest. The Asian session is often slow.
How much is one pip on USD/CHF?
One pip is 0.0001. On 1 standard lot of 100,000 US dollars it is worth 10 Swiss francs, which your broker converts to your account currency. On a mini lot it is 1 franc.
Why does USD/CHF fall when markets panic?
The Swiss franc is widely treated as a safe haven because of Switzerland's stable finances and large current account surplus. When investors sell shares in a hurry, many buy francs, which pushes USD/CHF down. It is a tendency, not a rule.
When does the SNB announce interest rates?
The Swiss National Bank holds four scheduled assessments a year and publishes the decision at 09:30 Zurich time, 08:30 UK time. The next is 10 December 2026, followed by 18 March, 24 June, 23 September and 16 December 2027.
Does USD/CHF trade at weekends?
No. USD/CHF typically closes on Friday at 22:00 UK time and reopens on Sunday at 22:00 UK time. News over the weekend can make Sunday's first price differ from Friday's close, which is called a gap.