Forex Market Hours
Which of the four sessions is open right now in your own time zone, when they overlap and when the next one opens.
Your time zone: ... ·
| Session | Status | Opens (your time) | Closes (your time) | Local hours |
|---|
Sessions run about 08:00 to 17:00 in each centre's local time and follow that centre's daylight saving. The market is closed from the New York close on Friday to the Sydney open on Monday.
How it works
The forex market is open from the Sydney open on Monday morning to the New York close on Friday evening, divided into four sessions named for the centres that dominate them. The tool converts each session into your own time zone, shows which are open now, and marks the overlaps, of which London and New York in the afternoon UTC is the busiest window of the day.
Session times move when clocks change, and London and New York do not change on the same date, so the tool works from each centre's local clock rather than fixed UTC hours.
The formula
Sessions follow each centre's local business hours, roughly 08:00 to 17:00 local time, and shift with daylight saving
Worked example
At 14:00 UTC in winter, London and New York are both open: the overlap, with the tightest spreads and most of the day's volume.
At 22:00 UTC on a Friday, New York has closed and the market is effectively shut until Sydney opens on Monday; spreads at the Sunday evening open are several times wider than normal.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to trade forex?
For the major pairs, the London and New York overlap, roughly 13:00 to 17:00 UTC, when liquidity is deepest and spreads tightest. For yen, AUD and NZD pairs, the Asian session is also active.
Is the market open at weekends?
Effectively no. Trading stops at the New York close on Friday and resumes at the Sydney open on Monday, and prices can gap over the weekend.
Results are arithmetic on the figures you enter and reference exchange rates; check contract sizes and pip values against your broker's specification. General education, not advice.