Current Date & Time (UTC)

UTC is a global, standardized time reference used across trading platforms, brokers, and financial markets to avoid confusion caused by time zones, daylight saving changes, or local clock differences.

What The Current Date & Time Does?

When requested, the agent:

• Retrieves the current date
• Retrieves the current time
• Returns it in UTC format

This timestamp is used internally for:

• Time-based trading rules
• Session detection
• Trade scheduling
• Logging and audit trails
• Synchronizing actions across markets

Why UTC Matters in Trading

Markets operate globally. Using UTC ensures:

• No time zone ambiguity
• Consistent session timing (Asia, London, New York)
• Accurate candle alignment across platforms
• Reliable automation and backtesting

Common Use Cases

Market Session Awareness

What session are we in right now?

The agent checks the current UTC time to determine whether markets are in:

• Asian session
• London session
• New York session
• Overlapping periods

Time-Based Trade Conditions

Open trades only after London opens.

The agent uses UTC time to verify session start before executing.

Trade Scheduling

Close all positions at 20:00 UTC.

The agent compares current UTC time to the specified rule and acts precisely.

Time-Limited Strategies

Stop trading after 18:00 UTC.

The agent automatically stop trading once the time condition is met.

Logging & Transparency

Log the exact time this trade was executed.

The returned UTC timestamp is stored for auditing and review.

Example Prompts

What is the current UTC time?

Check the time and confirm if New York session is active.

Place trades only if the current time is between 07:00 and 16:00 UTC.

Close positions if it’s past 21:00 UTC.

Use current UTC time to validate this strategy.

How the Agent Uses Time Safely

The agent uses UTC time to:

• Prevent trades outside allowed hours
• Align entries with liquid sessions
• Avoid low-liquidity periods
• Enforce time-based risk rules

Time rules are always combined with:

• Account safety checks
• Risk limits
• Watchlist restrictions

What The Current Date & Time Does Not Do

• It does not place trades
• It does not depend on your local time
• It does not change chart timezones
• It does not guess or approximate time

It simply provides the exact current UTC time, reliably.

Using Time for Smarter & Safer Trading

News Filters, Watchlists, and Risk Rules

The AI Trading Agent uses the current UTC time as a global clock to control when it is allowed to analyze, scan, or trade.

Time rules are never used alone — they always work together with watchlists and risk protection rules to prevent bad timing decisions.

News-Based Time Filters

Major economic news can cause extreme volatility, slippage, and unpredictable price behavior. The agent uses time rules to avoid trading during risky news windows.

How News Time Filters Work

1. News events are mapped to UTC time windows
2. The agent blocks or limits trading before, during, and after the event
3. Normal trading resumes once the cooldown period ends

Common News Filter Examples

Block Trading Before News

Do not open new trades **30 minutes before high-impact USD news**.

Agent behavior:

• Checks current UTC time
• Compares it to the news schedule
• Blocks new entries when inside the restricted window

Pause Trading During News

Disable trading during **CPI and NFP releases**.

Agent behavior:

• Freezes trade execution during the event window
• Allows monitoring and analysis only

Cooldown After News

Resume trading **15 minutes after** major news.

Agent behavior:

• Waits for volatility to normalize
• Re-enables trading only after the cooldown period

Exit Before News

Close open positions **10 minutes before** NFP.

Agent behavior:

• Uses UTC time to trigger pre-news exits
• Reduces exposure automatically

Time + Watchlists Interaction

Different markets behave differently depending on the time of day. The agent uses UTC time to decide which watchlists are active.

Session-Aware Watchlists

You can restrict watchlists to specific trading sessions.

Examples:

Trade symbols from *Asia FX* only during the Asian session.

Enable *US Indices* watchlist only during New York session.

Agent behavior:

• Uses UTC time to detect the current session
• Activates or deactivates watchlists trading automatically

Time-Restricted Symbol Trading

Trade *Forex Majors* only during **London and New York overlap**.

Agent behavior:

• Confirms the overlap window using UTC
• Blocks trades outside high-liquidity hours

Analysis vs Trading by Time

Analyze my *Crypto* watchlist 24/7, but trade it only during US session.

Agent behavior:

• Allows analysis at all times
• Enables execution only during approved hours

Time + Risk Rules Interaction

Time also affects how much risk is allowed, not just whether trading is allowed.

Reduced Risk During Low Liquidity

Reduce position size by 50% outside London session.

Agent behavior:

• Detects off-session trading via UTC
• Automatically lowers allowed exposure

Stricter Rules Near Market Close

Disable scaling after 20:00 UTC.

Agent behavior:

• Blocks volume increases late in the day
• Allows exits and risk reduction only

Emergency Risk Lock

If it’s past 21:30 UTC, close all intraday positions.

Agent behavior:

• Uses time as a hard safety cutoff
• Forces flat exposure before rollover

Time-Driven Trade Scheduling

Time can be used to plan trades without constant monitoring.

Examples:

Place pending orders **only after London open**.

Close all trades at **end of New York session**.

Allow trading between **07:00 and 17:00 UTC only**.

The agent checks time continuously and acts exactly when conditions are met.

Unified Example: Time + Watchlist + Risk

Scan my *Forex Majors* watchlist during London session, trade only the top setup, block trading during high-impact news, and reduce risk after 18:00 UTC.

Agent logic:

1. Check current UTC time
2. Confirm London session is active
3. Verify no news blackout window
4. Apply reduced risk rules if late session
5. Execute trade only if all checks pass

What Time Rules Cannot Override?

Time rules never override safety.

Even if the time is valid, the agent will still block trades if:

• Margin level is too low
• Exposure limits are exceeded
• Watchlist rules are violated

How Current Date and Time Protects You?

Using time intelligently ensures:

• Trades happen during liquid hours
• News volatility is avoided
• Risk is reduced when markets are thin
• Automation stays disciplined