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. Spreads are usually wider than on the major pairs and liquidity is thinner outside the local working day.
| When | UK time | New York time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly open | Sunday 22:00 | Sunday 17:00 | Typically, at most CFD brokers. The first minutes can have very wide spreads on this pair, and some brokers start quoting a little later. |
| Daily rollover | 22:00 each weekday | 17:00 | The trading day ends and overnight financing (swap) is charged. Spreads on exotic pairs widen sharply for several minutes either side, and some brokers pause quotes briefly. |
| Friday close | Friday 22:00 | Friday 17:00 | Typically. Many brokers stop about 5 minutes early on Fridays. Closed all of Saturday. |
| Underlying market | Mexico City working day about 14:00 to 23:00 (UK winter) | 09:00 to 18:00 | Mexico City no longer changes its clocks and stays six hours behind UK winter time, so its gap to London and New York shifts during the year. |
| Busiest hours | 13:00 to 21:00 | 08:00 to 16:00 | Mexico City and New York are both open and US data lands at 13:30 UK. |
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. Mexico City stopped using daylight saving in 2022, so Banxico's 13:00 Mexico City announcement is 19:00 UK in the UK winter and 20:00 UK in the UK summer.
What is USD/MXN?
USD/MXN is the price of one US dollar in Mexican pesos. A price of 18.5000 means one dollar buys 18.50 pesos. If the price rises, the dollar is strengthening; if it falls, the peso is strengthening.
The peso is one of the most traded emerging market currencies. Mexico sells most of its exports to the US, so US trade policy and the US economy matter a great deal, and the peso's higher interest rate makes it popular for carry trades (borrowing in a low rate currency to hold a higher rate one). Exotic pairs typically have much wider spreads than the majors, and liquidity can be thin outside the local working day, at the daily rollover and around local holidays, so prices can jump or gap.
The trading sessions
Thin trading and wide spreads; sharp jumps can happen on headlines.
Some activity with global risk mood, but the main players are not yet at their desks.
The main session. US and Mexican data and Banxico decisions land here.
Liquidity fades and spreads widen into the rollover.
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 Mexican pesos (100,000 x 0.0001). On a mini lot it is 1 Mexican pesos. Your broker converts that into your account currency at the current rate.
CME Mexican peso futures (symbol 6M): 500,000 pesos per contract, quoted in dollars per peso, 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). Most retail traders use spot CFDs instead.
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/MXN
Bank of Mexico rate decisions and the gap between Mexican and US rates.
Tariff and trade news, because the US is Mexico's biggest customer.
When investors get nervous they often sell the peso first, pushing USD/MXN up.
Mexico publishes inflation twice a month, which shapes Banxico expectations.
Elections, reforms and government policy affect confidence.
US jobs, inflation and Federal Reserve decisions move the dollar side.
Scheduled events to watch
Eight scheduled decisions a year, announced at 13:00 Mexico City time on Thursdays; check the Banxico calendar for the next date.
Published twice a month by INEGI, for the first half of the month and the full month.
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.
What it tends to move with
Tends to rise (peso weaker) when NAS100 and US30 sell off sharply.
Often moves in the same direction as USD/ZAR, as both react to emerging market risk mood.
Tends to rise when the dollar strengthens broadly.
These are tendencies, not rules. Trade headlines can override them in minutes.
Tips for trading USD/MXN
Account for the spread
Spreads on USD/MXN are wider than on the majors, so a stop that would be fine on EUR/USD can be too tight here. If the stop needs to sit beyond a real level, cut the lot size; the idea is wrong if price closes beyond that level.
Trade the American hours
Focus on 13:00 to 21:00 UK. A move in the Asian session that falls back inside the previous day's range by the New York open has failed.
Beware trade headlines
Tariff news can jump the pair in seconds. Any idea is wrong if price closes back through the level you traded from, so keep the stop beyond that level, not a round amount.
Respect Banxico evening
Wait for the first 15 minute candle after 19:00 UK (winter) to close. A break of its high or low is the idea; a close back through the other side proves it wrong.
Know the swap
The interest rate gap means holding long or short overnight has a financing cost or credit. Check your broker's swap rates before holding for days.
Connect your cTrader account once and USD/MXN 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. If your broker lists USD/MXN, it appears alongside your other markets. 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: banxico.org.mx, mnimarkets.com, cmegroup.com, inegi.org.mx, bis.org, 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/MXN?
From about 13:00 to 21:00 UK time, when Mexico City and New York are open. That is when liquidity is best and spreads are usually tightest. The Asian session is thin.
How much is one pip on USD/MXN?
One pip is 0.0001. On 1 standard lot of 100,000 US dollars it is worth 10 Mexican pesos, which your broker converts to your account currency. Because peso pips are small in value, typical moves span many more pips than on the majors.
What time does Banxico announce rates in UK time?
The Bank of Mexico announces at 13:00 Mexico City time. Because Mexico City no longer changes its clocks, that is 19:00 UK in the UK winter and 20:00 UK in the UK summer. There are eight scheduled decisions a year.
Why does USD/MXN react to US tariffs?
Most of Mexico's exports go to the US, so trade barriers can hit Mexico's income and confidence in the peso. Tariff headlines often weaken the peso, which pushes USD/MXN up.
Does USD/MXN trade at weekends?
No. USD/MXN 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.