FXRISK Manual

Spread Regime

A stable pattern of typical spreads for a given instrument and time window, with distinct transitions during volatility or low liquidity.

Why it matters

Knowing the spread regime keeps you from trading a scalping strategy in a non-scalping market.

Trading use: the point is not vocabulary. The point is prediction: what changes when this shows up?

Common trap

Using a fixed stop/target without considering that costs doubled.

Example

EURUSD spreads are tight during London, but widen noticeably at NY roll.

Operational cue: if you can’t point to it on the chart, in the DOM, or in your broker logs, treat it as a story and trade smaller.

Notes

Quick rule

  • If you see this repeatedly, you are in a different regime than your model assumes.
  • Regime change usually means position size change.
  • When in doubt: trade smaller, or don’t trade.