Forex market hours: What time does the forex market open?

Forex market hours: an overview

The forex market operates 24 hours a day, five days a week. It’s open during weekdays, and closes at the weekend.

The forex market operates on a decentralised basis, influenced predominantly by trading activity in Sydney, Tokyo, London, and New York.

Generally, forex trading hours can be divided into three primary sessions: the Asia-Pacific, European, and US sessions. While trading volume fluctuates across these sessions, it typically reaches its peak during the overlap between the London and New York sessions.

Forex trading hours

Winter:

London session: From 8am to 5pm UTC
New York session: From 1pm to 10pm UTC
Sydney session: From 9pm to 6am UTC
Tokyo session: From 11pm to 8am UTC

Summer:

London session: From 7am to 4pm UTC
New York session: From 12pm to 9pm UTC
Sydney session: From 10pm to 7am UTC
Tokyo session: From 11pm to 8am UTC

In summer, the Asia-Pacific session kicks off with Sydney’s market opening at 10pm UTC and closing at 7am UTC the next day. Within the same session, Tokyo starts trading at 11pm UTC and wraps up at 8am UTC.

Following this, the European session begins, where London’s forex trading hours operate from 7am UTC to 4pm UTC. Lastly, the US session takes over, with New York trading from 12pm UTC to 9pm UTC.

It’s worth noting that forex trading hours shift throughout the year due to the varying dates on which daylight saving or summer time is adopted by different countries.

And remember, although no individual forex trading session lasts 24 hours, the global forex market achieves continuous operation throughout the day and night (during the week) thanks to these overlapping international sessions.

The best times to trade forex

The best times to trade forex tend to be during the hours when trading sessions overlap.

These overlapping periods are known for heightened market liquidity and volatility, making them highly favourable for traders seeking to potentially capitalise on significant currency movements.

Take, for example, the London and New York overlap. This is one of the most bustling forex trading periods, characterised by heightened trading activity due to the large volume of transactions. Forex pairs with the euro or the US dollar – like GBP/USD or EUR/USD – can experience increased trading volumes and higher volatility during this overlap.

Similarly, the Sydney-Tokyo overlap presents unique opportunities for traders, especially for those trading forex pairs featuring the Japanese yen or the Australian dollar.

How to trade forex with Capital.com

You can trade forex with us by following these steps:

Choose a currency pair to trade, based on your trading goals
Choose how you want to trade with a CFD or spread bet
Decide on your trade size
Consider applying a stop-loss to manage risk
Open your position long or short
Manage your position, monitoring fundamental and/or technical drivers
Close your position

FAQs

When is the best day to trade forex?

Generally, the best days to trade forex are Tuesday through Thursday. This is when the forex market experiences the highest volume and volatility, due to the bulk of economic data releases occurring then. Fridays can also be opportune, particularly in the morning, though trading activity tends to taper off in the afternoon as the weekend approaches.

What are the best times to trade forex?

Generally, the optimal forex trading periods occur when the trading sessions, say, the Sydney and Tokyo sessions, overlap. These overlapping times can offer the highest levels of liquidity and market movement.

What time does the forex market open on Sunday in the UK?

For UK traders, the forex market opens with the Sydney session on Sunday at 10pm during the summer and at 9pm during the winter, marking the start of the trading week.

What time does the forex market close on Friday?

For UK traders, the forex market closes with the New York session on Friday at 9pm during the summer, and at 10pm during the winter, concluding the trading week.

What time does the forex market open in the UK?

The forex market operates 24 hours a day, five days a week, but officially opens in the UK with the London session at 8am local time in the winter, and 7am in the summer.