Forex market hours
On weekdays, forex trades around the clock, one city after another. See each session in your own time zone.
Typical hours. Your broker's trading hours may differ, and public holidays change them.
These are typical session hours, not live data. Brokers set their own trading times and holidays change them.
What the trading sessions are
A session is the working day of a big financial centre. The four main ones are Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York.
When one city closes, another is already open. That is why forex can trade all day and night from Monday to Friday.
The week starts when Sydney opens and ends when New York closes on Friday.
When sessions overlap
For a few hours each day, two sessions are open at the same time. More banks and traders are active then.
More activity often means tighter spreads and bigger price moves. The London and New York overlap is usually the busiest part of the day.
Quiet hours work the other way. Prices may move less, and spreads can be wider.
Daylight saving time
The US, the UK and Australia change their clocks on different dates. Japan does not change its clocks.
So around March, April, October and November, the gaps between sessions can shift by an hour for a few weeks.
If your country does not change its clocks, a session can start an hour earlier or later on your clock.
The times above follow each city's own clock rules, so these changes are already included.
Common mistakes
- Using hours from an old table. Daylight saving moves them, so trust the times shown in your time zone.
- Expecting the same conditions at every hour. In quiet hours and just after the weekend, spreads can be wider and prices can jump.
- Forgetting public holidays. A session can be quiet or closed on a holiday in its city. Your broker's calendar has the exact times.
Questions
Is the forex market open 24 hours a day?
On weekdays, yes: one session follows another. It closes for the weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday evening, New York time.
Do these hours match my broker's?
Not always. These are typical session hours, not live data. Your broker sets its own trading hours for each instrument, and holidays change them.
What is the best time to trade?
There is no single best time. Some traders like the busy overlap hours for tighter spreads. Others avoid them because prices move faster. Choose hours that fit your plan and your day.