Forex is a foreign currency exchange process where you can change one currency into another currency. This is done for many different purposes, such as tourism, commerce, and trade. This is a global marketplace that functions online. Since this marketplace operates globally, it is the most liquid and largest asset market.
Currency exchange is a major part of most trade options. One country trading with another needs to exchange the currency before they can complete the trade. For example, a trader in the U.S. wants to buy butter from France. Hence, you need to pay France in their currency Euros (EUR) for the butter.
In this process, you need to exchange your U.S. Dollars (USD) for Euros (EUR). The same happens for tourism when people from one country visit another country. A unique thing about the marketplace is that it has no central marketplace. Any currency exchange that happens is done through an online platform.
The market functions for 24 hours, Monday to Friday. Many different countries trade in this market, like New York, London, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Paris, and many others. However, the dominating countries are New York and London.
Due to so many countries operating on this marketplace, it functions across different time zones. That is why over the five days, the forex market stays active for 24 hours with changes in price quotes.
As a trader, do you know about the Forex Market hours in Malaysia? How do you trade in the Forex Market in Malaysia? Let us look into it.
How Does Forex Trading Work?
The forex exchange market is an electronic market where currency pairs are traded. When a trader sends a sell or buy order, the forex brokers present will initiate the transaction while extending the market. When this happens, the trader can check out new positions with the capital present.
Every trade that you make will involve two currencies where one currency is a bet against another currency. For example, take the pair EUR/USD, one of the most traded pairs globally. Here, the first currency is EUR and the second is USD.
When any price is shown for this pair, it means the worth of 1 Euro in U.S. Dollars. There will also be two different prices where one is the buy price, and another is the selling price. Trading spread is the difference between these two prices. When you sell or buy the currency, it will be the first currency present in the pair.
Forex Trading Sessions
The forex market is open day and night for 5 days, and this creates high liquidity. But the right time to trade would be when the market is volatile. However, is a volatile market a good thing? The answer to this would be yes, a volatile market is good for traders. The thing is to understand the volatility of the market and opt for the right trading moment.
A volatile marketplace creates several opportunities for traders. Since there will be major price changes, traders can find scope for profit during their trades. This would not be possible if the marketplace is static.
Forex Market Hours Malaysia
The Forex Trading Hours start from Monday and shuts down on Friday. It operates for 24 hours during these five days and in different time zones. Three major trading sessions dominate the stock exchange market. The trading hours for these sessions are as follows:
Asian Session (Tokyo) – 08:00 AM to 02:00 PM MYT
European Session (London) – 04:00 PM to 12:30 AM MYT
U.S. Session (New York) – 09:00 PM to 04:00 AM MYT
Overlapping Forex Trading Sessions
The best time for forex trading would be when the market is very volatile. It is at this time that the participation is also very high. But what happens when two or more forex sessions are open together, and they overlap? Since overleaping causes an increase in the buy and sell of currencies, the trading spread is reduced. This results in higher participation in most cases. However, not all overlapping sessions have the same effect.
The Tokyo-London sessions, which overlap for a short time, do not see much action. Because the U.S. traders are not functioning, the East Asian traders are facing late afternoon, and the European traders are just beginning the trading day.
The London-New York session overlap, on the other hand, sees some big actions. Since these two are the largest financial bases worldwide, combined, they are a true force. During this overlap, the trade market sees some big moves. It is during this time that you can make huge profits if the right decisions are taken.
Some of the top exchanges provide the best overlap timings for traders in Malaysia. They are –
London-New York Time: 09:00 PM to 12:30 AM Malaysia Time
EURUSD is the go-to choice and the currency that will have the highest trading opportunities. Other currencies pairs that can be considered will be GBPUSD and USDCHF.
Asian-European Overlap Time: 02:00 PM to 04:00 PM Malaysia Time
The currencies that you should keep an eye on during this period is GBPJPY and EURJPY.
Is It Legal To Engage In The Forex Market In Malaysia?
The compact answer for this question would be yes; however, there are certain regulations that traders have to follow. Malaysia allows forex trading but only with approved and registered financial institutions. Several licensed institutions provide you with the opportunity to engage in Forex Trading.
Traders will need to have an Islamic account using which they can make their trades and invest overseas. The primary issue with trading in Malaysia is that since they are a developing country, the government wants to establish control over their currency value to a certain extent.
Since Forex trading mainly does not involve the Malaysian current, Malaysian Ringgits, the government overlooks that you can also trade other currencies. When trading in Malaysia, you need to be very cautious about the rules and regulations established by the government.
Even though trading forex will not land you in legal trouble, the government can control the proceedings. Two major legalities to be followed when trading in Malaysia are not solicit funds for trading and not using others’ funds.
Forex Trading in Malaysia
Traders can engage legally in forex trading in Malaysia if they do it through approved and regulated institutions by the Bank Negara Malaysia. If you are engaging in foreign investment, you can use an offshore brokerage for trading Forex.
You will need to pay income tax for the Forex income. However, tax for the Forex capital gains is exempted. In this, when traders use an Islamic account that is swap-free, any gains that are not incomes from the trade will be tax-free.
Forex trading in Malaysia is growing at a fast pace. There are numerous legal institutions that traders can use for forex trading. Due to this growth, the Malaysian market has the potential to offer immense opportunities to traders. Forex trading can be hard for the beginner also. That’s why a friendly interface like EasyTrade’s can be useful for the beginner to start profiting. Easytrade’s platform is translated to Malay as well.
Timings for the Malaysian Stock Exchange
The Bursa Malaysia, which was earlier called the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, is the Malaysian stock exchange. This exchange market is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur and came into existence in the 1930s.
The abbreviation for the market was KLSE, but it was changed to MYX due to the name change. It is the largest exchange in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The trading hours in Malaysia are as follows:
First Session – 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM MYT
Second Session – 02:30 PM to 04:45 PM MYT
Trading At Last – 04:50 PM to 05:00 PM MYT
The market capitalization for MYX is USD 417.85 billion as of 2021. Traders will need to carry out the exchange in Malaysian Ringgits, currency code MYR.
Final Thoughts
Forex trading involves a great deal of knowledge, without which you cannot take the right steps. Each currency and country has its forex regulations that need to be followed. You need to ensure that you are planning for trade to earn profit. However, you should not do this by compromising on the legalities of the country.
You may find forex trading in Malaysia challenging, but knowing more about the trading guidelines can help you out. Go through regulated financial platforms so that you do not commit any illegal actions.
If you want to know more about the best time to trade forex in Malaysia, we are here to help you out. Sign up with us and get complete information and a guide about forex trading in Malaysia. You will also get access to a practice account before you start the real game.
