Category: Uncategorized

On May 25, most of Hong Kong observes Buddha’s Birthday, a public holiday. However, trading in certain HKEX contracts is traditionally open on this holiday. 

This year is unusual, however, because May 25 is also a holiday in both the UK and the US. 

With two major financial centres offline, HKEX is adjusting its schedule accordingly. 

🔹 Securities / Cash Equities: ❌ Closed 

🔹 Equity Index Derivatives: ⚠️ Partially Open 

🔹 Currency Derivatives: ✅ Fully Open 

For trading firms, this creates a highly nuanced operational scenario: 

🔹 Market open, but selectively 

🔹 Different products following different schedules 

🔹 Clearing, risk, and liquidity considerations shifting by asset class 

This scenario—Buddha’s Birthday coinciding with UK and US holidays—is rare. The next time it will happen is in 2042 and it will occur only five times in the 21^st century. 

No matter how unusual the market structure becomes, we deliver the granularity our customers need to trade anywhere, anytime. 

Anticipate. Plan. Trust. 

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📄 Explore our products: 

🔗 Holidays – Correctly anticipate future holidays
🔗 Trading Hours – Know your trading window, down to the second 
🔗 Expiry Dates – Never miss a deadline

📫 Contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com

Last Saturday, May 9, banks and payment systems in China were open for business.

And this wasn’t an anomaly. It was a deliberate calendar adjustment.

In several countries, holiday schedules are adjusted — extending festive breaks, aligning them with weekends, or redistributing days off. The trade-off? A day that would typically be a weekend suddenly becomes a working day.

China isn’t alone in this practice. Similar adjustments are observed in around a dozen others. Over the past 10 years, over 600 weekend days have been lost due to this practice.

At Swaps Monitor, we understand that even weekends aren’t always what they seem—which is why we ensure these exceptions are accurately reflected in our data.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust.

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📄 Explore our products: 

🔗 Holidays – Correctly anticipate future holidays
🔗 Trading Hours – Know your trading window, down to the second 
🔗 Expiry Dates – Never miss a deadline
🔗 Economic Events – Keep current on economic events

📫 Contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com

Brazil doesn’t take Mother’s Day lightly — and neither does its data.

This Friday, May 8, FGV releases a special iteration of its Consumer Survey focused on Mother’s Day gift shopping momentum.

Unlike the standard monthly edition, this is a second, dedicated release of the April 2026 report — a signal of just how significant the date is for Brazilian consumer behavior.

At Swaps Monitor, we track every release, every iteration. Whether it’s the standard monthly print or a special commemorative edition — we’ve got you covered.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust

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📊 Survey: FGV IBRE Consumer Survey — Mother’s Day Special

SM Code	Name
BRCCN	Consumer Survey

For more information about our Economic Events product and to download our coverage, please visit: 

👉 Economic Events – Track release dates and times

📫 Contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com

For over 10 years, the Belgian CPI numbers have been released within the same 11:00–11:30 a.m. window — every single month.

On April 29, they weren’t.

Disagreements between the sponsoring parties pushed the release back to 8:39 p.m. — a nine-hour delay that broke more than a decade of consistency.

It’s a reminder that even the most routine economic releases can have unexpected disruptions.

At Swaps Monitor, we know that when data is released is just as important as what the data says. That’s why we track these releases in real time, down to the minute — so you can trade with precision.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust

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Explore our product: 
🔗 Trading Hours – Know your trading window, down to the second 

📨 For more information, contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com 

On 27th April, NSE International is rolling out new market timings across its derivatives segments. The changes also affect Nifty contracts on GIFT Connect.

Sessions start earlier, close later, and the gap between market close and trade modification disappears entirely.

For traders on GIFT Connect, Nifty options get a longer T-session — 15 extra minutes before the close — with settlement timings shifting to match.

At Swaps Monitor, we track every session change — every market, every segment — so you have the granularity you need to trade with confidence.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust

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Explore our product: 
🔗 Trading Hours – Know your trading window, down to the second 

📨 For more information, contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com 

Effective April 13, ICE Endex and ICE Futures Europe have modified trading hours for their Energy and Power contracts. Most of these products are now available for trading 21 hours a day.

✅ What’s changing:

🔹Extension — UK Natural Gas and Power contracts move to a 21-hour session, marking the end of the traditional ~10-hour window.

🔹Alignment — All other ICE Futures Europe Coal, Natural Gas, LNG, and LNG Freight contracts move from 22 hours to 21 hours.

📊 Affected product groups:

Natural Gas · LNG · Coal · Electricity

At Swaps Monitor, staying on top of market structure changes like this is exactly what we do — so you can stay informed and act with confidence.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust.

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Explore our product: 
🔗 Trading Hours – Know your trading window, down to the second 

📨 For more information, contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com 

April marks the two-year anniversary of our rebranding as Swaps Monitor — and just like everything we do, our logo has intention baked into every element.

Our logo draws inspiration from the sun and moon: the timeless forces behind virtually all the world’s calendrical systems. But look closer, and you will find meaning in every detail.

🎯The target shape — a quiet nod to the precision and accuracy that defines our data.
🌍The rays — a reflection of our global reach, spanning markets and time zones across the world.
🌓The night-and-day colors — a commitment to our -24/7 research coverage.

Our logo is not just a design. It reflects our commitment to delivering the most accurate, reliable, and timely data humanly possible.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust.

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📄 Explore our products: 

🔗 Holidays – Correctly anticipate future holidays
🔗 Trading Hours – Know your trading window, down to the second 
🔗 Expiry Dates – Never miss a deadline
🔗 Economic Events – Keep current on economic events

📨 For more information, contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com 

The answer is a resounding yes — and this week is a perfect example.

Iraq and Congo-Kinshasa both declared holidays following their national football teams’ qualification for the FIFA World Cup.

This is far from unprecedented. Since 1997, there have been over 30 instances of governments declaring holidays to celebrate a sporting event or triumph.

At Swaps Monitor, we monitor every holiday — planned and ad-hoc — so your operations always stay on top of their game.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust.

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📄 Explore our products: 🔗 Holidays – Correctly anticipate future holidays

📨 For more information, contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com 

Between now and April 20, 26 exchanges will adjust their regular trading hours, including the Moscow Exchange, CME, ICE Futures Europe, Eurex, Tokyo Financial Exchange and Euronext Derivatives Paris.

Why the changes❓

• Holidays: The end of Ramadan will trigger a return to normal hours.
• Daylight Saving Time: Europe will shift clocks this weekend, impacting contracts worldwide.
• Extended Hours: Exchanges continue to expand access for participants.
• Session Reorganization: Structural changes result in the addition and deletion of sessions.

⏩ How to stay ahead

For any given trade data, our “New Hours” feature highlights new session times.

✅ No guesswork
✅ No surprises
✅ Clear visibility

In a world where timing is everything, stay ahead with our Trading Hours data.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust.

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📄 Explore our products: 

🔗 Holidays – Correctly anticipate future holidays
🔗 Trading Hours – Know your trading window, down to the second 

📨 For more information, contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com 

Eid Al-Fitr is not only one of the most important Islamic festivals, but also one of the most complex holidays.

• It is a holiday in 79 countries
• Holiday length ranges from 1 to 7 days
• Decision-making bodies differ—governments, religious authorities, and sometimes even financial institutions

Adding to the complexity is the reliance on moon-sighting. The Quran states that the month begins when the new moon is sighted. Many countries interpret this literally, deploying teams of observers each month. The process is influenced not only by astronomy – latitude, longitude, crescent size – but also by terrain, weather, air pollution and local rules on optical aids.

This year, countries will begin moon-sighting on the evening of Wednesday, March 18 or Thursday, March 19. Depending on whether they see the moon, Eid Al-Fitr will generally start on Friday, March 20, or Saturday, March 21.

At Swaps Monitor, we have spent decades understanding the intricacies of the Islamic calendar and its associated holidays. Our approach combines a highly sophisticated projection model with real-time monitoring, enabling our customers to plan confidently in the face of this complexity.

Anticipate. Plan. Trust.

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📄 Explore our products: 

🔗 Holidays – Correctly anticipate future holidays
🔗 Trading Hours – Know your trading window, down to the second 

📨 For more information, contact us at: info@swapsmonitor.com