Forex market hours
The forex market trades 24 hours a day, five days a week, passing from Sydney to Tokyo to London to New York. The clock below shows which sessions are open right now and when the busiest overlaps happen, in your own time zone.
Live session clock
The next 24 hours in your time zone ()
Session hours (local time of each centre)
| Session | Local hours | UTC, winter | UTC, summer | Pakistan (PKT), winter / summer | India (IST), winter / summer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | 20:00 to 05:00 | 21:00 to 06:00 | 1:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. / 2:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. | 1:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. / 2:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. |
| Tokyo | 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | 00:00 to 09:00 | 00:00 to 09:00 | 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| London | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | 08:00 to 17:00 | 07:00 to 16:00 | 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. / 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. / 12:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
| New York | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | 13:00 to 22:00 | 12:00 to 21:00 | 6:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. / 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. | 6:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. / 5:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. |
Winter and summer mean northern-hemisphere winter (US and UK standard time) and summer (daylight time); Sydney's clocks move the opposite way, so its UTC hours are the other way round. For New York, the Pakistan and India closing times fall on the next calendar day. Hours follow the usual market convention; forex has no official opening or closing bell. Pakistan and India do not change their clocks. The live clock above uses each city's own time zone, so it stays right in the weeks when clocks change on different dates.
The overlaps that matter
London and New York (8:00 a.m. to noon New York time) is the busiest window: the two largest centres are both open, trading volume is highest and spreads on the major pairs are usually at their tightest. Pairs involving the dollar, euro and pound tend to move most then.
Tokyo and London (3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. New York time) is a short overlap that can move yen crosses. Sydney and Tokyo overlap in the early Asian hours, when pairs involving the Australian and New Zealand dollars and the yen are most active.
The quietest stretch is late in New York's day, after London closes and before Tokyo wakes up, and the hour before the Friday close. Thin markets can move sharply on small orders, so many traders avoid them. This describes how the market usually behaves; it is not a signal. For the drivers behind each pair see the forex calls and currency strength meter; for costs and risks read margin and leverage.
Frequently asked questions
What are the forex market hours?
The forex market is open 24 hours a day from Sunday evening to Friday evening: it opens on Sunday at about 5:00 p.m. New York time (when Sydney starts trading on Monday morning) and closes on Friday at about 5:00 p.m. New York time. There is no trading over the weekend except for brief thin quotes.
When is the best time to trade forex?
Activity and tight spreads are usually highest when two major sessions overlap, above all when London and New York are both open (8:00 a.m. to noon New York time). Liquidity is thinner during the late Asian hours and just before the Friday close. This is a general pattern in how the market behaves, not a signal.
What are the four forex sessions?
Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York. By common convention they run 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Sydney, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Tokyo, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in London and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in New York, each in its own local time, so the hours shift in UTC when clocks change.
Why do forex hours change twice a year?
The sessions are tied to local business hours in cities that change their clocks (New York, London and Sydney do; Tokyo does not). The clock above uses each city's own time zone, so it adjusts automatically.
Is the forex market open on holidays?
The market stays open on most holidays, but liquidity thins sharply when a major centre is closed (for example US holidays or Christmas Day and New Year's Day), and some brokers shorten their hours. Check your broker.
Educational information, not financial advice. Session hours are a convention, not an official schedule.