FX - Markets always open?

FX usually starts earlier than most desks, but likewise you often get out earlier than other desks. In general I'd say 6-6 would be a pretty reasonable expectation for a normal day as an analyst (also depends on spot vs forwards vs options vs structuring).

It depends on what bank you are at (as far as I know) but at mine the options book is handed from one center to another (Singapore to London to NY to...) since, as you mentioned, its a 24 hour market.

If FX starts between 6-630 am, does this mean that Chicago FX traders start at 5-530 am? Also, if there's any FX trading on the west coast what are hours like there?

FX in Chicago would mostly be futures/futures options I would guess, which is a tiny portion of the overall market. So while I don't know for sure, I'd guess they are around the exchange hours.

The trading is flow trading, so if you are more into analyzing the fundamentals/technicals of the FX market, you should look more into the sales side of FX. Sales in FX is different that most other types of sales positions in S&T because instead of trying to pitch a product to clients you are instead informing and advising them of what is going on in the FX market.

Do FX traders utilize any sort of fund/tech analysis?

The spot guys use some TA as far as I know, Options no.

Could you tell me some more about spot? I imagine the spreads are really tight so how do they add value beyond what a computer can do?

Computer is not ideal for larger customer transactions. Anyway, yes spreads are super tight so in general you're not going to be making money off customers.

From my experience with computers/bots, they can make a lot of money but they can also lose a lot of money really quickly in Forex. One of many reasons I'd guess computers not ideal for larger transactions.

Im an intern at a big european bank on the fx spot desk.

My hurs are 715 am to 5 pm. The book gets handed at 7:29 am and handed off at 4:45 pm.

It is not too bad of a lifestyle.

6 until 6:30 on a regular day for interns here. Just European experience, so I can't tell you about Chicago or East coast, but I GUESS that there isn't much going on the East Coast since in the same way that in London you start 1 hour earlier than the rest of Europe, you would have to work through the night (literally), and my guess on Chicago is the same as Revsly's.

NYC BB FX Sales starts around 6:30 and out by 6:30. This is for analysts, associates, maybe vp sometime.

When the sh*t hits the fan, customers want to deal with live traders, not a computer. That's where the VA comes in. Also, the quantity of smaller orders would be almost impossible to deal with so it makes sense for a computer to do it. Still flow for spot traders, just less than what it was not even 3 years ago. I'm sure some spot guys are hoping the euro goes under.. more volatility to trade in (with a relative direction- lower).