Asian Session Cheatsheet: Tokyo-Singapore-Hong Kong

A quick playbook for navigating Asia's trading hours—what moves, when volatility spikes, and how to prepare with finstrument.ai.

Why the Asian session matters

Asia sets the tone for the global day, digesting US/Europe leads and reacting to regional macro. Liquidity is strongest around the Tokyo and Hong Kong opens, with China data adding bursts of volatility. FX (JPY, AUD/NZD, CNH) and regional equity indices (Nikkei 225, Hang Seng) tend to drive the narrative.

Key market hours (local references)

Tokyo (JP): ~09:00-15:00 JST — early volatility in USDJPY/JPY crosses, Nikkei 225.
Singapore (SG): ~09:00-17:00 SGT — hub for Asian FX and regional flows.
Hong Kong (HK): ~09:30-16:00 HKT — watch Hang Seng and China proxies.
Shanghai/Shenzhen (CN): ~09:30-15:00 CST — mainland equities; CNH sentiment.
Overlap with London: late Asia hours begin to blend with EU flows, adding liquidity.

What typically moves

JPY pairs: USDJPY, EURJPY, GBPJPY — sensitive to yields and Bank of Japan rhetoric.
AUD/NZD: risk proxies; react to commodities and China headlines.
CNH (offshore yuan): macro sentiment gauge for China—watch policy/data days.
Indices: Nikkei 225 (JP), Hang Seng (HK), China A-share proxies.
Commodities: iron ore/industrial metals sentiment can show up via AUD and Asian equities.

Volatility windows

Tokyo open: first 30-60 minutes often see FX repricing, especially JPY crosses.
HK/China open: watch Hang Seng and CNH for direction on China-sensitive assets.
Data drops: China PMI, inflation, trade; Japan inflation/BoJ commentary; Australia data (jobs, CPI).

Common setups

Trend continuation in JPY pairs: join moves aligned with global yield direction.
China sentiment trades: Hang Seng leadership with CNH stability often supports risk-on in Asia.
Mean reversion around gaps: post-open gap fills on Nikkei/HSI when breadth is weak.
Event follow-through: trade sustained moves after high-importance data surprises.

How to track on finstrument.ai

Use the Markets Overview for cross-asset context (indices, FX, commodities). For a fast visual of leadership/laggards, open Heatmaps and switch to Forex or regional equities. Prep for incoming releases on the Economic Calendar.

When you spot a theme (e.g., strong JPY or China rebound), click through to the instrument page to analyze a specific symbol: USDJPY, AUDUSD, Hang Seng Index, Nikkei 225.

Pro tip: Mark Asia's key open times on your chart and avoid chasing the first spike. Let the initial volatility settle, then align trades with cross-asset confirmation.