About the Forex Market Hours & Sessions
See which forex sessions are open right now and when the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions open and close in your own time zone. The page picks up your time zone automatically; choose another one, or look at any other day, from the boxes at the top.
A timeline shows the four sessions across the day with a line at the current time, followed by the overlaps, when two sessions are open together and most of the day's trading volume happens.
How it works
Each session is defined in its own city's local time: Sydney 7:00 to 16:00, Tokyo 9:00 to 18:00, London 8:00 to 17:00 and New York 8:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday. Because they follow local clocks, daylight saving in each country moves the sessions automatically, using the time-zone rules built into your browser.
The forex week opens at 5 pm New York time on Sunday and closes at 5 pm New York time on Friday. Sessions are cut to that window, so Monday's Sydney session starts when the market opens rather than earlier.
Clocks don't change on the same dates everywhere. The United States moves its clocks about three weeks before the United Kingdom in March and one week after it in autumn, so for those few weeks the London and New York overlap lasts five hours instead of four.
Assumptions and limits
- Session hours are the commonly used ones; banks in each city trade a little before and after them.
- Bank holidays, such as Christmas or a US holiday, aren't shown; trading is thin on those days.
- Times are worked out by your browser from its own time-zone data, so nothing is downloaded or sent.
Worked examples
From Pakistan
London opens at 13:00 Pakistan time in winter and at 12:00 in summer, when the UK is on British Summer Time.
The busiest hours
In January the London and New York overlap runs from 13:00 to 17:00 UTC, four hours.
Early March
After US clocks change and before UK clocks do, the overlap runs from 12:00 to 17:00 UTC, five hours.
How to use the Forex Market Hours & Sessions
- Open the page. It shows sessions in your time zone.
- Check what's open. With the time left to each open or close.
- Plan your day. Use the timeline and overlaps for any date.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the forex market open in Pakistan?
The forex week opens at 5 pm New York time on Sunday, which is 3:00 on Monday morning in Pakistan in winter and 2:00 when the US is on daylight saving time. It closes at the same New York time on Friday.
When is the best time to trade forex?
Volume is usually highest when two sessions overlap, above all London and New York, from 8:00 to 12:00 New York time. Spreads tend to be tightest and moves largest then; the Asian hours are usually quieter for European pairs.
Why do session times change during the year?
Each session follows its own city's clock, and the UK, the US and Australia change their clocks on different dates, Australia in the opposite season. Seen from a country without daylight saving, such as Pakistan, the sessions move by an hour twice a year.
Is the forex market open on weekends?
No. Trading stops at 5 pm New York time on Friday and starts again at 5 pm New York time on Sunday. Some brokers offer weekend prices on crypto, but currency pairs don't trade, and prices can gap when the market reopens.
Does the page include bank holidays?
No. On holidays such as Christmas, New Year or a UK or US bank holiday, the local session is very quiet or closed even though the page shows its normal hours. Check your broker's holiday schedule for exact trading times.
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