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.

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
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.