Tokyo and Sydney hours are not a quieter copy of London. Here is what tends to move — and what usually does not.
Who is awake, and who is not
Asian hours concentrate JPY, AUD, and NZD interest, plus regional equity open effects. EUR and GBP often trade thinner until Europe joins. If your edge needs deep books in those pairs, forcing Asian entries is optional pain.
Local data still matters
Japanese and Australian prints can reprice USDJPY and AUDUSD quickly even when US screens look quiet. Keep a regional calendar, not only a US one. Revisions and BoJ commentary can outweigh a sleepy US overnight tape.
Range behaviour is common — until it is not
Many Asian sessions mean-revert inside overnight ranges. That pattern fails when a regional risk event or US futures shock hits. Have a rule for when range tactics switch off.
Cost check before style check
Compare typical spreads and swap on your broker during Asian hours on the pairs you intend to trade. A strategy that works on a London demo can lose to wider Asian quotes alone.